Bedtime Math 2: This Time It's Personal

by Laura Overdeck, Jim Paillot (Illustrator)

Overview

"We want kids to feel about math the way they feel about dessert after dinner." --Laura Overdeck, Time magazine Our mission: to make math a fun part of kids' everyday lives. In, Bedtime Math: This Time It's Personal, families will find fun, mischief-making math problems that kids can't wait to figure out. With over 100 math riddles on topics from pillow forts and and sneeze speeds to overfed pets and underwear, kids will find math isn't just fun, it can be found in their everyday lives. And with three different levels of challenge (Wee ones, Little kids, and Big kids), plus a brand-new Bonus question, there's something for everyone.

Just as we all love stories before bedtime, families will find math is equally as fun and engaging. Many generations--kids and parents included--have been intimidated by math, but Bedtime Math is here to change all. We can make numbers fun, and change the world, one Bedtime Math puzzle at a time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250040961
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	03/11/2014
Series:	Bedtime Math Series
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	66,173
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Laura Overdeck is the author of Bedtime Math and Bedtime Math 2: This Time, It’s Personal.  Laura knows a thing or two about numbers. As a kid, she sat and memorized perfect squares for fun, before it was cool. And as a mom, she (along with her husband, John) decided to give their three children math problems alongside bedtime stories, and soon Bedtime Math was born. Laura holds a BA in astrophysics from Princeton University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. When not playing with numbers, Laura pursues her other interests, which include chocolate, wine, extreme gravity stunts, and LEGO Mindstorms. Find out more at bedtimemath.org.

Editorial Reviews

03/24/2014
Overdeck follows Bedtime Math with another winning fusion of math and mirth, offering dozens of problems inspired by everything from the rate at which fingernails grow to the amount of water used in taking showers and baths. Once again, questions are available for readers at three levels, introducing basic mathematical operations, comparative size and length, counting by 10s, and other topics. On a spread entitled “There's No Wrong Time for Pajamas," Overdeck asks youngest participants (“Wee ones") to predict a pattern using pajama sets, while giving “Big kids" a two-step addition problem (“If you sleep in your PJs from 8:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m., then wear them to school for another 6 hours, how many hours do you get to wear them?"). Paillot's cartoons bring an abundance of energy and comedy to the pages, whether he's drawing a toilet-paper mummy or a child soaking in a bathtub full of cheese puffs. It's a smart way to get kids thinking about the ways in which math is part of their daily lives. Ages 3–7. Author's agent: Cathy Hemming, Cathy D. Hemming Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Overdeck follows Bedtime Math with another winning fusion of math and mirth. . . . Paillot's cartoons bring an abundance of energy and comedy to the pages, whether he's drawing a toilet-paper mummy or a child soaking in a bathtub full of cheese puffs. It's a smart way to get kids thinking about the ways in which math is part of their daily lives. —Publishers Weekly on Bedtime Math 2

Recognized by the ALA as a Great Web site for Kids!

"Overdeck debuts with a just-irreverent-enough book . . . . She shows that she knows her audience and loves her subject. Paillot (the My Weird School series) is a great choice for collaborator . . . he does it all with a good-hearted, goofy energy that should propel readers through the pages." —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Bedtime Math

“[This program] may have the potential to make bedtime math problems as loved as the bedtime story. . . . Hats off to Laura Overdeck. This project is a winner. A simple idea that may have as much of an impact on improving the science, technology, engineering and math interest in our children as many other well-funded programs.” —Wired/GeekDad

“We all know we should read to our kids. But even if bedtime stories are routine in your house, when's the last time you gave your kids a bedtime math problem? Probably never. And that's one reason American students might struggle in a future that requires mathematical literacy... Maybe if more children grew up doing bedtime math problems, those numbers would be different.” —USA Today

“Besides stopping the bad-mouthing of our own math skills and making sure that we’re distributing our numbers-related conversations equally among our sons and daughters, what can a parent do to increase “math awareness” in our everyday lives? How about a bedtime math problem? . . . [in Bedtime Math]They're meant to be solved in their heads, and to promote both giggles and mathematical thought.” —New York Times Motherlode Blog

From the fans . . .

“Thank you so much for Bedtime Math problems! My five year old is literally beggin for new ones. One math problem turn into many more each night. This is a fantastic idea!” —Calee L.

“My kids seriously clamor for this every night. Little story, little math, little thinking practice . . . LOVE IT.” —KJ Dell'Antonia, “Motherlode” blogger for The New York Times

“My boys (ages 7, 9, and 10) race to the table at bedtime with pieces of scrap paper. I actually used the threat last night, “If you don't get your teeth brushed in the next three minutes, no math tonight!” —Elisa K.

From the Publisher

[This program] may have the potential to make bedtime math problems as loved as the bedtime story. . . . Hats off to Laura Overdeck. This project is a winner. A simple idea that may have as much of an impact on improving the science, technology, engineering and math interest in our children as many other well-funded programs.

Wired/GeekDad

We all know we should read to our kids. But even if bedtime stories are routine in your house, when's the last time you gave your kids a bedtime math problem? Probably never. And that's one reason American students might struggle in a future that requires mathematical literacy... Maybe if more children grew up doing bedtime math problems, those numbers would be different.

USA Today

Besides stopping the bad-mouthing of our own math skills and making sure that we're distributing our numbers-related conversations equally among our sons and daughters, what can a parent do to increase "math awareness" in our everyday lives? How about a bedtime math problem? . . . [in Bedtime Math]They're meant to be solved in their heads, and to promote both giggles and mathematical thought.

New York Times Motherlode Blog

Thank you so much for Bedtime Math problems! My five year old is literally beggin for new ones. One math problem turn into many more each night. This is a fantastic idea!

Calee L.

My kids seriously clamor for this every night. Little story, little math, little thinking practice . . . LOVE IT.

"Motherlode" blogger for The New York Times KJ Dell'Antonia

My boys (ages 7, 9, and 10) race to the table at bedtime with pieces of scrap paper. I actually used the threat last night, "If you don't get your teeth brushed in the next three minutes, no math tonight!

Elisa K.

Bedtime Math 2: This Time it’s Personal is the second book in which Laura Overdeck makes math a fun bedtime activity for kids from three to seven years old. The book opens with pages of instruction for parents on “How to Do Bedtime Math The Fun Way.” Ms. Overdeck’s philosophy is that “numbers are beautiful, and kids love attention. Bedtime Math just puts the two together.” In fact, readers of Bedtime Math 2 will not just learn math. In each of the six chapters, a series of puns and riddles are presented for varying age levels from “wee ones” to “Little Kids” to “Big Kids” and “Bonus” questions. For example, in chapter three, Personal Favorites, presents a two page “Food Fest” with the wee ones question: How many foods that you love can you count? Count as many as you can. This type of question may open up fun bedtime conversations as well as math lessons. Personal Habits, What’s On You, and What’s In You are just some of the topics covered with bold graphics and clever number riddles and games. The two-page, yellow and purple “Equation Chart” at the book’s end displays the math behind the fun—a nice answer key for parents. Reviewer: Debra Lampert-Rudman; Ages 3 to 7.

Children's Literature - Debra Lampert-Rudman

08/01/2014
PreS-Gr 4—With just the right balance of math and humor, Overdeck continues to present mathematical concepts in fun and easy-to-digest pieces that will simultaneously entertain and educate young readers. The book uses bodily forms and functions, clothing, personal preferences, habits, and athletic feats as jumping-off points for fun and creative math problems. (For instance, a spread titled "You've Nailed It" offers information on how fast finger and toenails grow, followed by several math questions of varying levels.) As with her previous installment, Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late (Feiwel & Friends, 2013), Overdeck does not suggest age ranges for each math problem but instead subtly labels appropriate questions for "wee ones," or preschool age kids (focusing on shapes, counting, and comparing numbers); "little kids" (examining basic addition and subtraction); and "big kids" (tackling multiplication and higher digit numbers). Expanding from the previous edition, this title now includes higher-level "bonus" questions, which require several steps to calculate the correct answer. Furthermore, the problems targeted at "wee ones" are now more engaging, as readers are asked to count items on the page, enlist the assistance of an adult to count fingers and toes, and find shapes in the illustrations. Although there is no table of contents, answers to each question can easily be found on their respective pages, and an "Equation Chart" in the back of the book explains the math involved with question. Cartoonlike illustrations add humor throughout. A worthwhile investment for both public and school libraries.—Meaghan Darling, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

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