THE WISHING CLUB: A STORY ABOUT FRACTIONS
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Illustrator: Anna Currey
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Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (USA) First published in: 2007 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Donna Jo Napoli's Math Books) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Petey wishes on the first star he sees, but instead of the dollar he hopes for, he gets only a quarter. The next night his little brother Joey wishes for a cookie - and gets just half of one. The twins, Sally and Samantha, don't fare much better. Try as they might, the children each wind up with a fraction of what they wished for. Can they figure out how to combine their wishes to wind up with one whole, happy pet? This charming blend of storytelling and math will keep young readers engaged till the very end. |
“"If Joey wished for a pig, he'd get half," said Samantha. "And if Petey wished, he'd get a quarter. And if we twins wished, we'd each get an eighth. I think that adds up to a whole pig, right?"”
Review by MathsThroughStories.org
Donna Jo Napoli’s (2007) ‘The Wishing Club: A Story about Fractions’ is the first title in her series of mathematical stories following four siblings: 2-years-old Joey, 4-years-old Petey, and their 8-years-old twin sisters, Sally and Samantha. This story starts with Joey and Petey wishing on a star for a cookie and a dollar respectively. Instead, they get half a cookie and a quarter of a dollar. A few nights later, the twins also wish on a star for marbles. Miraculously, each of them does get marbles – but each only receives 10 marbles in a bag with a label that says 80 marbles. Samantha later attributes this to their age whereby Joey would always get a half of whatever he wishes for, Peter a quarter, and the twins an eighth each. Together, they form the Wishing Club so they wish for the same thing and get a whole of it (i.e. 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/8 = 1). Read till the end to find out what they all wish for! The story is useful to teach the concept of simple fractions (e.g. a half, a quarter and an eight) and the illustrations (by Anna Currey) are effective in capturing each of the fractions visually. At the back of the book, there are also some useful questions and activity ideas – as based on the story – for teachers and parents to ask and do with their children to further extend the learning. All in all, we recommend ‘Corkscrew Counts: A Story about Fractions’ to children aged 5+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
5 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.
Donna Jo Napoli’s (2007) ‘The Wishing Club: A Story about Fractions’ is the first title in her series of mathematical stories following four siblings: 2-years-old Joey, 4-years-old Petey, and their 8-years-old twin sisters, Sally and Samantha. This story starts with Joey and Petey wishing on a star for a cookie and a dollar respectively. Instead, they get half a cookie and a quarter of a dollar. A few nights later, the twins also wish on a star for marbles. Miraculously, each of them does get marbles – but each only receives 10 marbles in a bag with a label that says 80 marbles. Samantha later attributes this to their age whereby Joey would always get a half of whatever he wishes for, Peter a quarter, and the twins an eighth each. Together, they form the Wishing Club so they wish for the same thing and get a whole of it (i.e. 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/8 = 1). Read till the end to find out what they all wish for! The story is useful to teach the concept of simple fractions (e.g. a half, a quarter and an eight) and the illustrations (by Anna Currey) are effective in capturing each of the fractions visually. At the back of the book, there are also some useful questions and activity ideas – as based on the story – for teachers and parents to ask and do with their children to further extend the learning. All in all, we recommend ‘Corkscrew Counts: A Story about Fractions’ to children aged 5+ years old. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
5 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.
