SIR CUMFERENCE AND THE DRAGON OF PI
Author: Cindy Neuschwander
Illustrator: Wayne Geehan
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Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (USA) First published in: 1999 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Sir Cumference and Charlesbridge's Math Adventure) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and Radius are back in their second Math Adventure! This time, a potion has changed Sir Cumference into a fire-breathing dragon. Can Radius change him back? Join Radius on his quest through the castle to solve a riddle that will reveal the cure. It lies in discovering the magic number that is the same for all circles. |
“Back in the workshop, Radius found Geo's measuring tape - a long strip of cloth marked in inches. He measured 49 inches across the middle of a wheel and 154 inches around the outside edge. "154 divided by 49 is 3 1/7," he figured out. Radius measured big wheels and small wheels. Every time, the distance around was 3 1/7 times the distance across.”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Cindy Neuschwander’s (1999) ‘Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi’ is the second title in the Sir Cumference series. The story follows Radius, Sir Cumference’s son, in his quest to turn his father from his dragon form back to his human form. To do this, Radius must use his geometrical knowledge to solve this riddle: ‘Measure the middle and circle around, Divide so a number can be found. Every circle, great and small – The number is the same for all. It’s also the dose, so be clever, Or a dragon he will stay … forever.’ We love how Cindy worked very hard to come up with a fun and action-packed story to help teachers and parents explain to their children what pi means – conceptually. We are particularly impressed by Cindy’s ability to turn everyday activities, such as pie making, into a useful teaching moment. Such activities, in turn, give teachers and parents inspirations to create similar teaching activities with their own children. All in all, we highly recommend ‘Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi’. It is a wonderful story picture book to introduce or reinforce the concept of circumference, diameter and pi to children aged 10+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
10 years old +
Relevant topics:
2D 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.
Cindy Neuschwander’s (1999) ‘Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi’ is the second title in the Sir Cumference series. The story follows Radius, Sir Cumference’s son, in his quest to turn his father from his dragon form back to his human form. To do this, Radius must use his geometrical knowledge to solve this riddle: ‘Measure the middle and circle around, Divide so a number can be found. Every circle, great and small – The number is the same for all. It’s also the dose, so be clever, Or a dragon he will stay … forever.’ We love how Cindy worked very hard to come up with a fun and action-packed story to help teachers and parents explain to their children what pi means – conceptually. We are particularly impressed by Cindy’s ability to turn everyday activities, such as pie making, into a useful teaching moment. Such activities, in turn, give teachers and parents inspirations to create similar teaching activities with their own children. All in all, we highly recommend ‘Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi’. It is a wonderful story picture book to introduce or reinforce the concept of circumference, diameter and pi to children aged 10+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
10 years old +
Relevant topics:
2D 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.
