CIRCLE! SPHERE!
Author: Grace Lin
Illustrator: Grace Lin
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Number of pages: 14
Publisher: Charlesbridge (USA) First published in: 2020 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Storytelling Math) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, IND, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Manny and his friends Olivia and Mei blow bubbles in this playful introduction to geometry. Manny's wand is a circle. Olivia's wand is a square. Mei's wand is a heart. What shape will their bubbles be? (Surprise! They're all spheres.) The Storytelling Math series shows that all children can be mathematical thinkers. Each book includes ideas for exploring math at home with your children, developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC Inc., under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation. |
“My wand is a circle. I blow! My bubble is a ball - a sphere!”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Grace Lin’s ‘Circle! Sphere!’ (2020) is a part of Charlesbridge’s Storytelling Math series which promotes diversity (e.g., gender and ethnicity) in mathematical stories. This is a small 14-page board book which follows three young friends, Manny, Olivia and Mei, as they play together by blowing bubbles using wands of different shapes (a circle, a triangle and a heart). The story makes a very important point to very young readers about the difference between 2D and 3D shapes (e.g., that the wand with a circular head makes bubbles in the shape of a ball or a sphere). The story has a very simple storyline which is arguably appropriate for the very young readers that the story is meant for. Similarly, the amount of text per page is age-appropriate too. Like the other titles in the series, there are also a few activity ideas given at the back of the book. All in all, ‘Circle! Sphere!’ can be a useful story to introduce the concept of 2D and 3D shapes to children, aged 3+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author.)
Recommended age range:
3+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
2D Shapes; 3D Shapes
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.
Grace Lin’s ‘Circle! Sphere!’ (2020) is a part of Charlesbridge’s Storytelling Math series which promotes diversity (e.g., gender and ethnicity) in mathematical stories. This is a small 14-page board book which follows three young friends, Manny, Olivia and Mei, as they play together by blowing bubbles using wands of different shapes (a circle, a triangle and a heart). The story makes a very important point to very young readers about the difference between 2D and 3D shapes (e.g., that the wand with a circular head makes bubbles in the shape of a ball or a sphere). The story has a very simple storyline which is arguably appropriate for the very young readers that the story is meant for. Similarly, the amount of text per page is age-appropriate too. Like the other titles in the series, there are also a few activity ideas given at the back of the book. All in all, ‘Circle! Sphere!’ can be a useful story to introduce the concept of 2D and 3D shapes to children, aged 3+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author.)
Recommended age range:
3+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
2D Shapes; 3D Shapes
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.
