Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes

by J. Patrick Lewis, Frank Remkiewicz (Illustrator)

Overview

These eighteen zany rhyming riddles involve addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication to calculate everything from poodle weights to travel time. And for anyone who's stumped, the answers are included in mirror-writing below each riddle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152058487
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	496,650
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.88(h) x 0.12(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

J. Patrick Lewis has authored more than fifty books of poetry for children. In 2011, he was named the Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation and was given the NCTE Excellence in Children's Poetry Award. He lives in Westerville, Ohio.Visit his website at www.jpatricklewis.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Illustrated word problems, for fun? Well, any book that can rhyme 'Wapakoneta' with 'Green cheese or Swiss or feta' can bring back the joy of puzzle solving."—Chicago Tribune —

From the Publisher

Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes by J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Frank Remkiewicz, offers a host of clever math riddles with titles like "Finger Play" (which teaches a nifty trick for multiplying by nine) and "Your Average Cow," which asks kids to compare bovine and human life expectancies. Answers appear (upside-down) below each entry. Humorous cartoons multiply the fun. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3-4-A new book by a wordplay master always adds up to fun. Arithme-Tickle brings to math puzzles and queries the same rhythmic zest Lewis's Riddle-Icious (Knopf, 1996) brought to verbal riddles. Remkiewicz's bright, energetic watercolor-and-pencil illustrations amplify the humor in each challenge (a riotous tropical scene accompanies "How Many Coconuts?"-"How many palm trees swaying in the breeze?/How many hives for the bumblebees?/How many warthogs in a quartet?/How many apes eating apes suzette?"). Answers are thoughtfully provided at the end of each poem. A book to enjoy "If you are most particular,/Curved, straight, or perpendicular/(That is, arithme-ticular!)."-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Math story problems aren't always boring exercises about dividing up a bowl of apples or trains traveling between cities. Sometimes story problems can be rhyming, funny, and delightfully illustrated, as evidenced by this collaboration between Lewis (A World of Wonders, p. 48, etc.) and Remkiewicz, illustrator of the popular Horrible Harry and Froggy series. The 18 math puzzles are full of amusing names and situations, such as calculating the time for a quick trip to Kalamazoo or the weight of a poodle named Poo-poo-pee-doo. Three additional selections include a novel way to multiply by nine as well as a rebus-like round of letters between a dog and a cat (regarding a K-9 T). The text is printed on blue-lined notebook paper with the answers to the puzzles cleverly printed below each problem in reverse (adding a mini-science lesson when the answers are held up to a mirror to be read). Remkiewicz provides cheery illustrations in watercolor and colored pencil, with smiling children and comical animals in double-page spreads that will work well with a group. Most of the puzzles are at the third- or fourth-grade level, but many could be solved by younger children with an adult's help. This is also an excellent choice for younger gifted children, who will enjoy the challenge of math problems with a humorous twist. (Nonfiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews