Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, School Day Math

July 23, 2012
The bright, gummy-like teddy bears that appeared in Teddy Bear Counting and Teddy Bear Math return to explore math skills that readers might encounter in school. A rhyming song based on the “Patty-cake, Patty-cake” nursery rhyme incorporates counting, addition, and subtraction: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,/ pat your head./ Are there fewer/ yellow or red?” Nihoff works familiar aspects of the school day into the digital illustrations, including studying math and science, playing at recess and in phys ed, and sitting on the rug (“Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,/ touch the floor./ Which group of bears has just four?”), while the bears tumble, celebrate, and dress up in costumes for a theatrical production. Young readers should find it easy yet gratifying to count the chunky, colorful bears. Ages 4–7.

June 1, 2012
In the bears' third outing, the counters, classroom staple that they are, invite readers to follow the cadence of the familiar jump-rope rhyme and answer some simple math questions. McGrath fixes the who's-my-audience problem that plagued Teddy Bear Math (2011) by returning to the youngest math learners, but her focus could still use some tightening. Readers are challenged to count, then skip-count, identify a group of four, and tell whether there are fewer of this color or that one. A balance scale allows children to identify which of two bears weighs more. Readers are also asked to tell which group has more than five, complete two different patterns, and solve one addition and one subtraction problem. Throughout, McGrath's rhyming verses may encourage audiences to do more than math: "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, / a great big laugh. / Which teddy bear / is a bear in half?" The scattershot approach does not go deeply into any one math concept or afford readers any sense of continuity or pattern. As in the previous two titles, Nihoff's bears coordinate well with the text; this time his hand-drawn digital illustrations are accompanied by collaged found objects. Cutesy, but ultimately lacking in substance--there is little here that will draw children (or teachers) for a second reading. (Math picture book. 3-6)

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July 1, 2012

K-Gr 2-Brightly colored characters resembling gummy-bear candy utilize a question format to discuss an array of basic math concepts. The rhyming text follows the style of "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" with its emphasis on active statements in a school setting. The bears put on a play, enjoy recess, write at their desks, and blow out candles on a birthday cake. The text is a collection of practice questions; children must already have an understanding of the concepts as there are no step-by-step guidelines within the text. Unfortunately, the uninspired phrases fail to scan well. "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, /pat your head./Are there fewer/yellow or red?" Questions provide light exercises but fail to teach concepts. "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, /save a penny./Count by fives/to see how many." Without background information, this selection offers a gummy math-centered celebratory read-aloud rather than providing informational material.-Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC

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