The Royal Treasure Measure

February 1, 2013

K-Gr 2-Long ago, in a kingdom far away, the people were plagued by the lack of a standard measure. They used spoons and sausages and candles to quantify the length of objects. As a result, drapes were too long, robes were too short, and roofs did not properly cover houses. King Balbazar was at his wit's end so he decided to hold a contest. The one who could devise a sensible unit of measurement would become king and win the hand of the princess. Men came from far and near with all kinds of ideas, but it was a simple man named Arzo who-for lack of anything else-used his feet. He became king, and the official unit of measurement became the size of his foot. This clever account, told in rhyme, alludes to the basis for most of today's standard measurement: the human body. Youngsters will enjoy the failed attempts of using walnuts, swords, rowboats, goats, and even pickles to measure distance. The exaggerated, colorful cartoon illustrations are humorous and appealing. Fans of the author's other math concept books will be delighted with this offering, too.-Debbie Lewis, Alachua County Library District, FL

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2012
A clever princess and a simple man solve a measurement problem and find true love in this fairy-tale-like math story. When King Balbazar and his subjects have trouble making doors and drapes and robes fit, the king decides to hold a contest to find a standard unit of measurement, a husband for his daughter and his successor--he wants to retire. Princess Star judges the contest, dressed as a peasant, her basket hiding a crown for the winner. But things look glum when the men begin measuring with nuts, swords (of different sizes), goats and even pickles. It takes a simple man with no belongings--and no shoes--to come up with the foot as a unit of measure. And the rest is history...although an author's "foot note" explains what is really known about the origins of a foot. Harris' ABCB rhyming verses have a nice rhythm to them and some interesting pairings--sickles with pickles. But the speech-bubble asides that are integral to the tale do not rhyme, and this detracts from the flow of the text. Stevanovic's cartoonish illustrations are filled with detail, but his characters steal the show, their pointy and/or pendulous noses and appendages lending each a distinct personality. Though it is regrettable that in neither story nor note is the metric system, the international standard, mentioned, still, save about half an inch (or roughly 1 cm) on your shelves for this one. (Math picture book. 4-8)

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