Sea Sums

Hulme, Joy N.

3.6

25 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 0786821426 ISBN 13: 9780786821426

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1996

Providing a fascinating introduction to the world of a coral reef, a catchy rhyming text and full-color artwork offer an entertaining lesson in basic math concepts, with addition and subtraction equations at the end of each spread.

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From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Beautiful illustrations and a tedious rhyming text add up to disappointment in this counting book. Hulme uses eight-line singsong rhymes to show sea creatures on each double-page spread. Simple examples of addition and subtraction are introduced, and the equation is shown at the bottom of the page. For example, "A stingray digs two sandy clams,/Down on the ocean floor./Then plows around until it finds/ One...two...three...four more./It chews three clams for breakfast/And crunches three for brunch-/So all the clams are gobbled up/And none are left for lunch." At the bottom of the page is the equation: 2 clams + 4 clams - 3 clams - 3 clams = 0 clams. The illustrations of marine life are softly hued; children will enjoy looking at them. There is a description of the animals in the back of the book, but the mathematical concepts are never discussed or explained. There is a great demand for beginning math books, but Sea Sums will only be useful to adults who are willing to spend a lot of time getting young listeners ready for these concepts.
JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 5^-8. Similar in look and concept to Hulme and Schwartz's Sea Squares (1991), this picture book teaches about creatures of a coral reef and shows addition and subtraction visually as well as verbally and numerically. For example, one spread states, "One lionfish is bristling / With pointed, poison spines; / Two others flutter from a cove / Like feathered porcupines. / Around their faces, frilly fins / Spread like a lion's mane. / When one swims off to find some food, / Two fluffy fish remain. 1 lionfish + 2 lionfish -1 lionfish = 2 lionfish." The illustration on the left-hand page shows all three fish swimming; on the right side, two fish remain, and the other is barely visible as it swims out of sight. Reproduced in full color, the attractive gouache paintings are decorative as well as instructional. A useful supplement to science and math units. Carolyn Phelan

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