GRANDFATHER OWL
Author: Eun-hee Na
Illustrator: Sook-gyeong Kim
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Number of pages: 34
Publisher: big & SMALL Publishing (UK) First published in: Unknown Translated into English in: 2015 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (TanTan Math Story) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Grandfather Owl is delighted when his oak tree becomes home for some baby animals. He loves to count them while he watches them grow up. Let's join him in counting baby animals, adding and subtracting. |
“Next to go are the four red squirrels. The forest becomes very quiet. The owl is sad. "Four more have left! Four gone from seven is three. Soon the three badgers will go too and then I'll have no one."”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Eun-hee Na’s ‘Grandfather Owl’ is part of the world’s largest mathematical story picture book series, called TanTan Math Story (70+ titles). Interestingly, there are two versions of the English translation done on this original South Korean version. The most recent version is by big & SMALL (UK) in 2015, and the previous version was by Nutrend (South Africa) back in 2012 under a different title (‘Grandpa Owl and the Forest Babies’). The story is essentially about a Grandpa Owl who is sad because he is always alone living on an oak tree. That is until different numbers of baby animals turning up to live at the tree as well (e.g. three flying squirrel, two chicks, five baby raccoons, etc.). Over the next few days, however, baby animals after baby animals leave the tree (due to various reasons e.g. flooding, growing up, etc.). The story thus provides a meaningful, albeit sad, context for children to practise adding and subtracting numbers. The 2015 version by big & SMALL also provides an additional mathematical summary on various pages (e.g. ‘6 baby animals + 4 baby red squirrels = 10 baby animals. 6 + 4 = 10’). This combination of the story element and mathematical/symbolic version of it can be particularly handy. Like most titles in this series, the book comes with a few mathematical word problems relating to the story to be solved at the end of the story. All in all, ‘Grandpa Owl and the Forest Babies’ is a useful story to introduce the concept of addition and subtraction to children aged 4+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
4 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Addition & Subtraction
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.
Eun-hee Na’s ‘Grandfather Owl’ is part of the world’s largest mathematical story picture book series, called TanTan Math Story (70+ titles). Interestingly, there are two versions of the English translation done on this original South Korean version. The most recent version is by big & SMALL (UK) in 2015, and the previous version was by Nutrend (South Africa) back in 2012 under a different title (‘Grandpa Owl and the Forest Babies’). The story is essentially about a Grandpa Owl who is sad because he is always alone living on an oak tree. That is until different numbers of baby animals turning up to live at the tree as well (e.g. three flying squirrel, two chicks, five baby raccoons, etc.). Over the next few days, however, baby animals after baby animals leave the tree (due to various reasons e.g. flooding, growing up, etc.). The story thus provides a meaningful, albeit sad, context for children to practise adding and subtracting numbers. The 2015 version by big & SMALL also provides an additional mathematical summary on various pages (e.g. ‘6 baby animals + 4 baby red squirrels = 10 baby animals. 6 + 4 = 10’). This combination of the story element and mathematical/symbolic version of it can be particularly handy. Like most titles in this series, the book comes with a few mathematical word problems relating to the story to be solved at the end of the story. All in all, ‘Grandpa Owl and the Forest Babies’ is a useful story to introduce the concept of addition and subtraction to children aged 4+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
4 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Addition & Subtraction
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.
