Count on Me

April 15, 2019
A young child explains a love of math and how it shapes the world. Finding one's passion is no easy feat, even (perhaps especially) when surrounded by everyone else's. Dad loves to paint, Mom thrills at entomology, and a brother excels at music, but none of those quite fit. Neither does acting or dancing or cooking or singing or sports--all worthy activities but none of them the stuff of passion for the determined narrator. When everything has been tried, the protagonist is left with the simple truth--the one thing this child likes the most is math. Tanco unhurriedly unspools the protagonist's passion as the text (occasionally punctuated with new vocabulary) notes how thoroughly the world is immersed in math, whether it's in the form of geometric shapes on the playground, group problems at the dinner table, or paper-airplane trajectories. With each page turn, the lens and framework of math as a way to see the world takes shape. Without softening or hiding basic (but still complex) mathematical concepts, Tanco's open, loose-lined illustrations offer visual dimension and definition, bridging, for instance, the unfamiliar concept of concentric circles with the everyday occurrence of water ripples. Further information can be found in a visual glossary. The narrator has light brown skin and a mass of brown, kinky curls; Mom has a similar look, and Dad presents white. If readers aren't math-curious at the start, they will be by the end. (Picture book. 5-8)

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June 1, 2019

Gr 1-4-A young girl understands that everyone has a passion. Her father's is art, her mother's science, her brother's music. Her passion is math. She sees math wherever she goes-on the playground, at the lake, in her toys, and in solving real-life problems. The girl keeps a journal of math concepts that fascinate her and this journal helps explain the concepts highlighted in the story, such as fractals, basic polygons, concentric circles, types of curves, solid figures, types of trajectories, and kinds of sets. Each journal page gives a definition for the featured concept along with illustrations. This picture book for elementary age students is a great tool for teachers to use to kick off the school year, acknowledging that everyone is good at something and that the diversity of interests and abilities is what makes the world interesting and beautiful. The book is also useful for introducing the concept of a math journal or even as an introduction or tip sheet for any of the aforementioned concepts. The illustrations are simple and succinct, with clean lines making it easy to recognize the math concepts that are being represented. The colors are subtle and applied in a manner that lends the book a fresh, clean feel. VERDICT A picture book that celebrates different ways of looking at the world and a useful tool for any classroom or personal library collection.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2019
Committed to pinpointing her passion, a brown-skinned girl observes her painter father, entomologist mother, and budding musician brother pursue theirs. At school, she delves into the many possibilities at hand—performance, cookery, and sports—but nothing sticks. At last, she admits to a love of math, which she takes deep pleasure in seeing everywhere: “There are geometric shapes on the playground. And when we go to the lake, I skip stones to see the concentric circles form in the water.” Muted watercolor illustrations by Tanco perfectly accompany the dreamy lilt of the text as the child finds “the perfect curve” of the slide and launches a paper airplane. The occasional appearance of complex equations may feel baffling to readers within the stated age range, but the volume reminds readers that “there are infinite ways to see the world.” Back matter includes an illustrated notebook explaining highlighted mathematical concepts. A beautifully rendered love letter to math. Ages 3–7.

June 1, 2019
Grades K-3 A multiethnic family has a variety of passions: Dad paints, Mom studies insects, a boy plays the tuba. The daughter, a brown-skinned girl with exuberantly springy red hair, confides that she has tried out various artistic, athletic, and culinary pursuits, but what she really loves is math. She proclaims that there are infinite ways to see the world and shares how her particular view appreciates geometric shapes, concentric circles, and line trajectories. Watercolor and Photoshop illustrations portray a warm family and a confident young girl. While author-illustrator Tanco lives in Italy, the city, school, museum, and street scenes could be of any larger urban location. Following the main story is a section called My Math, where we find the girl's journaled notes on topics such as fractals and basic polygons. The arithmetic information corresponds to earlier events in the story, allowing older readers to connect the math facts to the illustrations. This gentle, humorous book is a thoughtful counterpoint to math anxiety.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)