SIR CUMFERENCE AND THE FRACTON FAIRE
Author: Cindy Neuschwander
Illustrator: Wayne Geehan
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Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (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 (Sir Cumference and Charlesbridge's Math Adventure) CPreview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Sir Cumference and Lady Di discover Fracton numbers while purchasing cloth and cheese at the Fracton Faire. While twofourths may seem like the same as one-half, in truth it denotes two parts of one-half, or two quarters of the whole. But the real mystery is the fact that items at the fair keep disappearing, and Sir C, Lady Di, and the Earl of Fracton must set a numeric trap for the thief, teaching an important lesson along the way about the comparative size of fractions. Puns both literal and visual abound in this fun adventure story with beloved characters and a solid pedagogical foundation. |
“"I made that mistake myself," admitted Sir Cumference. "Now I realised that the larger the denominator, the smaller each part is. The higher the numerator, the more parts there are."”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Cindy Neuschwander’s (2017) ‘Sir Cumference and the Fracton Faire’ is the tenth title in the Sir Cumference series. The story follows Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter to a local Fracton Faire where local goods are sold. The story offers a series of scenarios where different shopkeepers show how numerators and denominators can be useful for customers to indicate how much of each product they want to buy (e.g. one-fourth of a roll of fabric, four-eights of a cheese wheel). The story also introduces the concept of equivalent fractions, as well as cleverly addresses a common misconception that the bigger the denominators, the larger the parts. The contest idea found in the story where fraction cards of different values are hidden at various places at the faire and the winner is the one who finds the fraction card with the largest value can also be easily adapted as an incredibly fun classroom activity. We have nothing but praises for Cindy for her latest masterpiece. We very much look forward to the eleventh title in her Sir Cumference series. All in all, ‘Sir Cumference and the Fracton Faire’ is a fun and witty story, great for introducing or reinforcing the concepts of numerators, denominators and equivalent fractions to children aged 9+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
9+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Fraction
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 (2017) ‘Sir Cumference and the Fracton Faire’ is the tenth title in the Sir Cumference series. The story follows Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter to a local Fracton Faire where local goods are sold. The story offers a series of scenarios where different shopkeepers show how numerators and denominators can be useful for customers to indicate how much of each product they want to buy (e.g. one-fourth of a roll of fabric, four-eights of a cheese wheel). The story also introduces the concept of equivalent fractions, as well as cleverly addresses a common misconception that the bigger the denominators, the larger the parts. The contest idea found in the story where fraction cards of different values are hidden at various places at the faire and the winner is the one who finds the fraction card with the largest value can also be easily adapted as an incredibly fun classroom activity. We have nothing but praises for Cindy for her latest masterpiece. We very much look forward to the eleventh title in her Sir Cumference series. All in all, ‘Sir Cumference and the Fracton Faire’ is a fun and witty story, great for introducing or reinforcing the concepts of numerators, denominators and equivalent fractions to children aged 9+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
9+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Fraction
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.
