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EXPLORE OTHER 'FRACTION' STORIES HERE

SIR CUMFERENCE AND THE FRACTON FAIRE
​Author: Cindy Neuschwander
​Illustrator: Wayne Geehan

Picture
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.

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ABOUT US

MathsThroughStories.org is a non-profit and research-based initiative, based at the University of Reading's Institute of Education (UK).

It sets out to help mathematics learners around the world develop their conceptual understanding in mathematics and to help them foster positive attitudes towards the subject through  the power of storytelling.

Contact Us

  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • RESEARCH TEAM
    • On-line Contributors
    • Research Dissemination
    • Research Impact
    • SHOUTOUTS
    • Teacher Training / CPD Services
    • MEDIA APPEARANCES
  • RESOURCES
    • RECOMMENDATIONS
    • BLOG
    • NEWSLETTER
    • BOOK REVIEWS >
      • BOOK REVIEWS
      • INSPECTION COPIES
    • LESSON IDEAS
    • VIDEOS
    • CREATE YOUR OWN MATHEMATICAL STORIES >
      • GUIDELINE FOR MATHEMATICAL STORY AUTHORS
      • INTERVIEWS WITH MATHEMATICAL STORY AUTHORS
    • 'HOW TO' BOOKS
    • RESEARCH ARTICLES
    • PRACTITIONER-ORIENTED ARTICLES
  • COMPETITIONS
    • 2022 YMSA WINNING, SHORTLISTED AND LONGLISTED ENTRIES
    • 2021 YMSA WINNING, SHORTLISTED AND LONGLISTED ENTRIES
    • 2020 YMSA WINNING, SHORTLISTED AND LONGLISTED ENTRIES
    • 2019 YMSA WINNING AND SHORTLISTED ENTRIES
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT US
    • GET INVOLVED