THE GRIZZLY GAZETTE
Author: Stuart J. Murphy
Illustrator: Steve Björkman
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Number of pages: 28
Publisher: HarperCollins (USA) First published in: 2003 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (MathStart) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
It's the last week of Camp Grizzly, and the campers are preparing to elect a mascot. Each day the Grizzly Gazette takes a poll to see who has the biggest percentage of the vote so far. Is it Sophie? Is it Daniel? Or could it be Corey, the new entry in the race? Corey's determined to do her best. But she's got to make up for lost time. Can she win out over Daniel and Sophie? No one will know for sure until the last vote is counted! A lively story about summer camp fun will help young readers understand both percentage and voting! |
“"We've got a long way to go," said Corey later that afternoon. "But we're just getting started," said Jacob. "You already have 10% of the vote," said Katie. "In just one day!"”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Stuart Murphy’s (2003) ‘The Grizzly Gazette’ is part of the impressive 63-title MathStart series. The story follows a young girl, named Corey, who wants to win the vote to become her camp mascot leading 100 campers in the Grizzly Parade. So far, two fellow campers – Sophie and Daniel – have already attracted 25% vote each, leaving 50% of the campers still undecided. With the help of percentage and pie charts reported in The Grizzly Gazette, readers can see how Corey is doing in relation to the other two candidates when she enters the contest. Page illustrations in water colour by Steve Björkman are lovely, and the pie charts throughout the story are useful to help children see what percentage means visually. Like the other stories in the MathStart series, useful recommendations for teachers and parents on how mathematics learning opportunities can be extended from the story are offered at the back of the book. As far as we are aware, this is currently the only mathematical story picture book in the market with an explicit focus on percentage. All in all, ‘The Grizzly Gazette’ does a great job in providing a fun and useful context to introduce the concept of percentage (and pie charts) to children aged 8+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
8 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Data handing; Percentage
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.
Stuart Murphy’s (2003) ‘The Grizzly Gazette’ is part of the impressive 63-title MathStart series. The story follows a young girl, named Corey, who wants to win the vote to become her camp mascot leading 100 campers in the Grizzly Parade. So far, two fellow campers – Sophie and Daniel – have already attracted 25% vote each, leaving 50% of the campers still undecided. With the help of percentage and pie charts reported in The Grizzly Gazette, readers can see how Corey is doing in relation to the other two candidates when she enters the contest. Page illustrations in water colour by Steve Björkman are lovely, and the pie charts throughout the story are useful to help children see what percentage means visually. Like the other stories in the MathStart series, useful recommendations for teachers and parents on how mathematics learning opportunities can be extended from the story are offered at the back of the book. As far as we are aware, this is currently the only mathematical story picture book in the market with an explicit focus on percentage. All in all, ‘The Grizzly Gazette’ does a great job in providing a fun and useful context to introduce the concept of percentage (and pie charts) to children aged 8+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
8 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Data handing; Percentage
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.
