Family Reunion

December 1, 2003
Gr 1-3-This lively story demonstrates different types of graphs. After Gary Graff tries to use his math homework as an excuse for skipping a family reunion, his mother makes him take the project to the gathering. By observing his relatives in action and recording details, he is able to create a bar graph, line graph, and pie graph. By the end of the day, he has finished his homework and had a good time. The information-gathering process, graph-making methods, and finished products are clearly presented. Cheerful pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, touches of humor, and short sentences keep the story moving. School libraries looking for math-supporting easy-readers will want to consider this title.-Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2003
Gr. 1-3. Gary tries to avoid a boring family reunion with a plea to stay home and do his math homework, but his mother decides that he can do his work " at" the reunion. Assigned to make a bar graph, a line graph, and a pie graph, he gathers data on how many people like each kind of salad; whether they wipe their mouths on napkins, their sleeves, or their hands; and what their hair color (really) is. When Gary's cousins help with the detective work, the family reunion unexpectedly becomes fun. The clarity of the graphs makes the math lesson clear, while the sly humor of the narrative is disarming, even for those with math anxiety. Cole's cartoon-style drawings, tinted with colorful washes, reflect the light tone of the text. An upbeat story as well as curriculum reinforcement from the All Aboard Math Reader series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)