Let's Estimate

February 1, 2017

Gr 3-5-Adler and Miller (Circles; Place Value) team up again to introduce the concepts of estimating and rounding to young readers using relatable, practical examples and appealing illustrations. Estimations as "approximate answers" are first defined as acceptable responses to questions whose exact answer is continually changing, such as the population of the United States. Rounding is then presented as a tool that can make estimations, such as the cost of groceries or the product of two double-digit numbers, easier. The artwork reinforces the conceptual examples found in the text and features three unnamed children and five anthropomorphic dinosaurs drawn in a pleasing cartoon style. Important terms are shown in bold but are defined only within the text; there is no glossary or other back matter. Although the concepts are conveyed clearly, the subject matter, density of the text, and smaller font size make this selection much more likely to be helpful to students when shared with a caregiver or educator in a one-on-one or small group setting than when read independently.

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January 15, 2017
Estimating and rounding: two great, everyday mathematical tools. We round and estimate all the time; they're right up there with adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Adler brings a no-nonsense approach to the subjects, sometimes a little too much so, letting the narrative go flat at the expense of tinder-dry precision. "For most purposes, that's a perfectly acceptable answer. But it's not an exact answer." Even the inclusion of the contractions doesn't lighten those sentences. And there is also a measure of disconnect between Miller's artwork, with its Candyland playfulness and large population of dinosaurs, and the audience, some of who will be nigh approaching junior high school. On the other hand, he has a good gender and racial mix among the humans, who participate via speech bubbles. Adler's text overcomes its occasional drab presentation by stressing the utter usefulness and pleasure of rounding and estimating. They allow us to have a sense whether or not we are in the ballpark numberwise, and they can be just plain fun in gaining an idea of how numbers relate to the real world, both for amusement and to grasp time and space: estimate the steps to a friend's house and how long that will take. There are a few arid patches and some illustration-audience mismatch, but the value--and enjoyment--of rounding and estimating courses through it. (Picture book. 6-10)

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