The Yum-Yum House

December 1, 2009
K-Gr 3-In "Werewolf Moon", Jake and Stan mistake Jake's grandmother's new friend for a werewolf because he is always studying the Moon and working in the garden at night. Basic lunar facts are included throughout the story. This book attempts to interest children in science through fiction. Fortunately, most of them like scientific information enough without really needing a fictional approach. The full-color drawings are mostly of the two boys, Grandma, and her friend looking at or talking to each other. Some simple science experiments appear at the end. "Daisy Diaz" explains trading, importing, and exporting as girls at camp learn to exchange items and talents. Daisy Diaz gathers the girls together to attain a trade with the boys' camp, exchanging time on a climbing wall for time on a beach. No adult counselors seem to be involved anywhere at these campsthe children take care of everything. Information bubbles explain the concepts, and the full-color drawings will hold readers' interest. In "Yum-Yum House", Maggie and William admire Grace Ann's candy-covered gingerbread house and decide to make one. First they beg neighbors for candy and then use math to figure out how many pieces they still need to equal or best Grace Ann's house. They end up building a gingerbread village. The story is illustrated with colorful line drawings and ends with two word problems. A version of "Hansel and Gretel" or "The Gingerbread Man" would be a better story for enjoyment and language enrichment, and most parents or teachers could easily create math problems for other stories that would be similar or better than those included here."Erlene Bishop Killeen, Stroughton Area School District, WI"

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