A FISHY MYSTERY
Author: Lisa Harkrader
Illustrator: Cary Pillo
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Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Kane Press (USA) First published in: 2017 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Math Matters) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Thea wants one thing: to be a clever and daring detective like Samantha Sharp, the hero of her favorite books. So when the fish bowl goes missing during math class, Thea is ready to make her mark! |
“On the board, Ms. Gruper wrote the names of everyone who had a dog. Then she wrote down everyone who had a cat. Some kids had both. She drew a rectangle. Inside that, she drew two circles that overlapped.”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org
Lisa Harkrader’s ‘A Fishy Mystery’ (2017), the latest title in Kane Press’s Math Matters series, is one of the very few mathematical stories in the market right now that explicitly and cleverly demonstrate the awesomeness of Venn diagrams. The protagonist, Thea, a keen student detective, made use of her recently-acquired knowledge of Venn diagrams to try to identify the culprit behind the disappearance of Rocky, her class goldfish! Through Ms. Gruper (the class teacher character), the story is effective in addressing a common misconception that a Venn diagram simply consists of two overlapping circles, and nothing else. The storyline is engaging. Illustrations by Cary Pillo are mathematically correct, and just great in general. We particularly adore Rocky’s facial expressions! Diversity of characters in the story is abundant. Specifically, we are pleased to see a female ethnic leading character. As with other titles in the Math Matters series, useful teaching activity ideas are offered at the back. All in all, we LOVE it! Well done, Team Kane Press! Recommended for children aged 6+ years old.
Recommended age range:
6 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Sorting & Classifying
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
Lisa Harkrader’s ‘A Fishy Mystery’ (2017), the latest title in Kane Press’s Math Matters series, is one of the very few mathematical stories in the market right now that explicitly and cleverly demonstrate the awesomeness of Venn diagrams. The protagonist, Thea, a keen student detective, made use of her recently-acquired knowledge of Venn diagrams to try to identify the culprit behind the disappearance of Rocky, her class goldfish! Through Ms. Gruper (the class teacher character), the story is effective in addressing a common misconception that a Venn diagram simply consists of two overlapping circles, and nothing else. The storyline is engaging. Illustrations by Cary Pillo are mathematically correct, and just great in general. We particularly adore Rocky’s facial expressions! Diversity of characters in the story is abundant. Specifically, we are pleased to see a female ethnic leading character. As with other titles in the Math Matters series, useful teaching activity ideas are offered at the back. All in all, we LOVE it! Well done, Team Kane Press! Recommended for children aged 6+ years old.
Recommended age range:
6 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Sorting & Classifying
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
