CORKSCREW COUNTS: A STORY ABOUT MULTIPLICATION
Author: Donna Jo Napoli and Richard Tchen
Illustrator: Anna Currey
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Number of pages: 28
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (USA) First published in: 2008 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Donna Jo Napoli's Math Picturebooks) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
At Corkscrew's party, everyone wants to play. Every game the kids try needs a different number of players, and they never have the right amount. The little pig and his parrot friend know how to solve the problem--if only they can get the kids to understand! Corkscrew stars in this delightful companion to The Wishing Club. |
“"I want to play with my brother and sisters," said Peter. "All right, let's find a game for four players. Then we can have three groups of four." 4 x 3 = 12”
Review by MathsThroughStories.org
Donna Jo Napoli and Richard Tchen’s (2008) ‘Corkscrew Counts: A Story about Multiplication’ is the second title in the series of mathematical stories following four siblings: little Joey, Petey, and their older twin sisters, Sally and Samantha. In this story, the siblings decide to throw a birthday party for their pet pig, Corkscrew. Each of them invites two friends over. No matter which game they play and regardless of how the 12 children divide themselves into teams (e.g. six pairs, four groups of three players, three groups of four players, two teams of six players), both Corkscrew and Pirate, the Parrot always end up causing a mayhem. Everything changes when one of the children suggests they play Ultimate Frisbee which requires two teams of seven players. Now, both Corkscrew and Pirate get to be part of the game and everyone is happy. This story does well in showing young readers how the knowledge of multiplication (and hence division) can be useful in their everyday life. However, the illustrations (by Anna Currey) unfortunately fail to visually capture any of the actual grouping of children, which makes what is essentially a mathematics teaching and learning tool not as effective as it could have been. Additionally, the use of language is questionable at times, for example, when Corkscrew says “Booties were for sissies …”. At the back of the book, there are also some useful questions and activity ideas – as based on the story – for teachers and parents to ask and do with their children to further extend the learning. All in all, ‘Corkscrew Counts: A Story about Multiplication’ has the potential to be a useful story picture book to introduce the concept of multiplication (and division) to children aged 5+ years old, though teachers and parents might want to address the issue with illustrations by, for example, encouraging their children to illustrate ones for themselves instead. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
5 years old +
Relevant topics:
Multiplication
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.
Donna Jo Napoli and Richard Tchen’s (2008) ‘Corkscrew Counts: A Story about Multiplication’ is the second title in the series of mathematical stories following four siblings: little Joey, Petey, and their older twin sisters, Sally and Samantha. In this story, the siblings decide to throw a birthday party for their pet pig, Corkscrew. Each of them invites two friends over. No matter which game they play and regardless of how the 12 children divide themselves into teams (e.g. six pairs, four groups of three players, three groups of four players, two teams of six players), both Corkscrew and Pirate, the Parrot always end up causing a mayhem. Everything changes when one of the children suggests they play Ultimate Frisbee which requires two teams of seven players. Now, both Corkscrew and Pirate get to be part of the game and everyone is happy. This story does well in showing young readers how the knowledge of multiplication (and hence division) can be useful in their everyday life. However, the illustrations (by Anna Currey) unfortunately fail to visually capture any of the actual grouping of children, which makes what is essentially a mathematics teaching and learning tool not as effective as it could have been. Additionally, the use of language is questionable at times, for example, when Corkscrew says “Booties were for sissies …”. At the back of the book, there are also some useful questions and activity ideas – as based on the story – for teachers and parents to ask and do with their children to further extend the learning. All in all, ‘Corkscrew Counts: A Story about Multiplication’ has the potential to be a useful story picture book to introduce the concept of multiplication (and division) to children aged 5+ years old, though teachers and parents might want to address the issue with illustrations by, for example, encouraging their children to illustrate ones for themselves instead. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
5 years old +
Relevant topics:
Multiplication
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.
