If You Were an Even Number

Marcie Aboff gives a thorough and understandable description of even numbers in this installment of the “Math Fun” series. Examples in the book are technically sound and insightful, with some hinting at more complex concepts to come, such as closure: the sum of two even numbers always being an even number. The book offers many good discussion points for students at different comprehension levels. Even so, a few examples were a bit subtle for younger children and could be misleading without additional emphasis from the reader. One such example is “If you were an even number, you could be an instrument….” The even numbered things on the page are actually components of the instruments, such as six (even number) strings on one (odd number) guitar. The strings themselves are difficult to see in the illustration and more importantly, there are not six of them, but the book does offer strong fundamentals and numerous opportunities for oral repetition in learning the sequence of even numbers. It is part of the delightful “Math Fun” series and succeeds in entertaining as well as instructing. Sarah Dillard’s illustrations add to the fun with a rabbit as teacher, hippos as cheerleaders, and other zany animal friends. A glossary, index, suggested classroom activities, and additional resources are included at the end of the book. This book would be a good addition to any classroom. Reviewer: Carolyn Briles