Arithmechicks Take Away

July 1, 2020
Preschool-G Though it's bedtime for 10 mischievous little chicks and their friend Mouse, who's sleeping over, no one looks tired. Hearing Mama Hen's initial call, Time to hit the hay, the little ones run off to hide, singly and in groups, while one with pencil and paper records the math: 10 chicks minus 1 chick equals. . . . Next Mama squawks, Where is everybody? This good-natured mother rounds them up, but one chick cries, Again! Again! And suddenly they're all scrambling for cover. Patient Mama lures them back with a big, fluffy hug. Nestled into their nests, the birds yawn, while in his sleeping bag, Mouse snores. Soon all are asleep. Observant kids will find many opportunities to spot the hidden birds and their friend in the bright, engaging illustrations. An elementary-school teacher, Stephens offers a lively story and a useful appended page with several different strategies for demonstrating subtraction. This cheerful sequel to Arithmechicks Add Up (2019) has its madcap moments, while creating opportunities for kids to use subtraction skills as they enjoy the playful story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2020
Arithmechicks discover that (as Stephens puts it) "bedtime - chicks = later bedtime!" Together with the new mouse friend they met in Arithmechicks Add Up (2019), 10 diversely hued and patterned chicks respond to Mama's "Time to hit the hay!" with a wild scramble to hide--first one, which leaves nine to go, then three more, leaving six, and so on in unpredictable groups until there are "0 chicks" (nor any mouse) to be seen. Then, just to change things up, no sooner does Mama find her chicks than a cry of "Again! Again!" touches off a second round of disappearances in different groupings. Each successive subtraction comes with an open-ended line, as in "10 chicks minus 1 chick equals...," with the answer not immediately adjacent but visible on the facing page. To help readers arrive at solutions, Liu tucks into her cartoon pictures various strategies, including a traditional arithmetical equation, a "ten frame," a number line, or even fingers (feathers); these are all summarized in small type in a closing section. Stephens uses alliteration and internal rhymes to set up a cozy rhythm, and she brings the brouhaha to an end with a final henhouse snuggle (Mouse gets a sleeping bag): "All found and winding down / with cuddles and bedtime books. / Stretching starts, yawns are next, / dreams are coming soon." (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.) Feathery fun for the newly numerate. Take it away, Arithmechicks! (Informational picture book. 3-5)

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