Monster Musical Chairs: Subtracting One (MathStart 1 Series)

by Stuart J. Murphy, Scott Nash (Illustrator)

Overview

Monster Musical Chairs

Every time the music stops, one more monster is OUT! Kids won't be able to sit still for this musical introduction to subtraction at its simplest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064467308
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/28/2000
Series:	MathStart 1 Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	77,357
Product dimensions:	9.81(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.09(d)
Lexile:	170L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stuart J. Murphy is a visual learning specialist. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he has a strong background in design and art direction. He also has extensive experience in the world of educational publishing. Drawing on all these talents, Stuart J. Murphy brings a unique perspective to the MathStart series. In MathStart books, pictures do more than tell stories; they teach math.

Stuart J. Murphy and his wife, Nancy, live in Boston.

Scott Nash has illustrated many books for children, including Betsy Who Cried Wolf! by Gail Carson Levine, Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields, Over the Moon by Rachel Vail, and Oh, Tucker! by Steven Kroll. He lives with his wife, Nancy, and their dog, Zephyr, in Peaks Island, Maine.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 1-In this book about subtraction, written in couplets with a beat as definite as that of the rock band supplying the music, six smiling monsters are engaged in an animated game of musical chairs. The action begins when the little creatures forcefully throw chairs across the room, telling everybody to "duck." The game proceeds with chairs and monsters being eliminated one by one. The characters' heads are pictured in a vertical row along the outside edge of the right-hand pages, with an X over the one that was unseated in that round. Unfortunately, the order of the heads varies from page to page, muddling the subtraction concept. Starting with an unequal number of chairs and monsters, subtracting one from each group simultaneously, and finally ending with one chair and one monster may be very confusing to young children. The most valuable part of this book is the list of suggested extension activities at the end. Pat Brisson's Benny's Pennies (Bantam, 1995) and Eileen Christelow's Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree (Clarion, 1991) are more to the point.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, NJ Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal