Reviews
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by Cindy Neuschwander; illustrated by Wayne Geehan
Join Sir Cumference and the gang for more wordplay, puns, and problem solving in the clever math adventure that introduces readers to charts and graphs through an annual bake-off.
In the eighth installment of this popular math adventure series, Sir Cumference and Lady Di need a baker to prepare a special dessert for the annual Harvest Faire. Two bakers compete to see whose dessert is most popular. When Pia of Chartres and Bart Graf have trouble keeping track of the votes their desserts receive, they each develop a better system. Pia places a colored candy around the edges of a pie dough (like a pie chart), and Bart stacks up cookie tins (making a 3D bar graph). Puns--both literal and visual--abound in this fun adventure story that introduces different methods of collecting data.
Perfect for parent and teachers who are looking to make math fun and accessible for everyone.
Recommended for children ages 8-12 years.
Softcover, 32 pages.
Charlesbridge. Printed in China.
A fun little math adventure that introduces the basics of fractions to early elementary audiences.
— School Library Journal
"This humorous story offers one explanation for the origin of pie charts and bar graphs while serving up some possible mathematical or culinary career choices for youngsters. Two talented bakers compete for the honor of preparing the Harvest Sweet for an annual celebration. In order to determine the popular favorites as the townspeople taste their wares, both bakers keep tallies, one marked with lines in flour on a table and the other with pinches of dough. But their records are ruined by their cat and dog that respectively dash through the flour and gobble up the dough. Still, they need some way to record their patrons’ favorite choices and eventually come up with their own strategies that will be animal-proof. The male baker stacks cookie molds, one for each different type of cookie preferred by his customers, while the female baker arranges different colors of candies around a circular, pie shape to record the results. Thus, the results will be visual, and easy to understand. The story will hold readers' attention while the acrylic paint illustrations fit the story well. The relish with which the townsfolk and the animals savor the desserts is palpable. Math has never been so sweet." ~ Reading Today Online
"Sir Cumference and the Off-the-Charts Dessert is one of eight books in Neuschwander’s series of mathematical adventures. This time, the medieval-style characters are embroiled in a bake-off of statistical proportions to determine this year’s Harvest Treat for the upcoming Harvest Faire. Pia from Chartres offers the best pies in town, and Bart Graf makes an assortment of cookies, but how to determine a winner? Ultimately, the pie graph and bar graph that are constructed, showing favorites among the pies and cookies respectively, make the selection obvious. Geared for grades 4–6, most of Neuschwander’s previous books help introduce and reinforce geometry concepts. In this book, she does the same for data analysis. Filled with delicious puns, the text is engaging and accurate; Geehan’s detailed illustrations enhance the mathematical information presented and promote a sense of fun. Fourth graders will think they themselves are unlocking the secret to the puns of “Pia from Chartres” and “Lady Di of Ameter,” whereas older students will simply groan. In either case, the mathematical concepts will most likely be remembered." ~ Teaching Children Mathematics, NCTM
