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Edgar Allan Poe's Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems
Is this poetry? Math? A brainteaser? Yes! It’s all that and more. The poet J. Patrick Lewis
has reimagined classic poems—such as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” and Langston
Hughes’s “April Rain Song”—and added a dash of math. Between the silly parodies
and the wonderfully wacky art, kids will have so much fun figuring out the puzzles,
they won’t guess they’re learning! Answers appear unobtrusively on each page, and
engaging information about the original poets is included. Math games and concepts,
poetry and poet biographies—it’s all so cleverly put together. This funny book is a
treat for fans of words and numbers alike.
has reimagined classic poems—such as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” and Langston
Hughes’s “April Rain Song”—and added a dash of math. Between the silly parodies
and the wonderfully wacky art, kids will have so much fun figuring out the puzzles,
they won’t guess they’re learning! Answers appear unobtrusively on each page, and
engaging information about the original poets is included. Math games and concepts,
poetry and poet biographies—it’s all so cleverly put together. This funny book is a
treat for fans of words and numbers alike.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2012
7 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
About the author
J. Patrick Lewis
134 books104 followersJ. Patrick Lewis is the current Children's Poet Laureate. He has written more than seventy children's books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
March 31, 2012
As someone who avoided my math homework, so I could keep reading my book, I could have used more books like this one.
March 31, 2013
An unusual offering, pairing enjoyable illustrations with re-workings of poems by mostly famous authors, in the form of mathematical puzzles. Would be appropriate for late second grade to maybe fifth grade (although, I am tempted to say through high school, as once students are hit by standardized tests, the development of problem-solving ability stagnates). The best of the puzzles involve multiple steps, wherein the reader has to figure out what operations to apply, in what order. The weakest merely say to take a number and do this this and this to it, then "guess" the answer; (I can't for the life of me figure out what this word is doing there) these cannot be considered puzzles in any meaningful sense. The answers for each puzzle are given, in small type upside-down at the bottom of the page. I wish there was some discussion of mathematical problem solving at the appropriate level; I fear that presenting the answers with no discussion reinforces the misconception, seen at all levels, that you either 'get' a math problem immediately, or not at all. (There are some details of the solution given for some of the problems, but not enough to piece together a general framework of how to go about solving such problems.)
As many authors seem intent on doing, Lewis wastes no time getting under my skin, as the answer given to the first puzzle is wrong. A word of advice -- if you ever write a poem based on The Raven, and that poem is actually a math puzzle, and you think it would be cute to include the phrase "never four", then make sure the answer is not actually four!
The effectiveness of the poems, and of the puzzles, varies, as the author has tried to match the writing style to that of the original author. I particularly enjoyed "William Carlos Williams's Pizza" - the stark style fit the task well, and the associated puzzle had some puzzle to it, without spelling out the exact steps. The Lewis Carroll didn't work as well. I also may have learned something from "John Ciardi's Shark Dentist", while for "Robert Frost's Boxer Shorts", the art and the title far surpassed the alleged "puzzle". The author also needs to observe that "twice more" than a quantity is not the same thing as twice that quantity.
There are short bios at the end of each of the afflicted poets, which may inspire some further 'research' by the younguns, or, as a matter of fact, myself.
Hard to rate such a work; barely earns a fourth star from me on the strength of the painting of the boxer shorts.
(from my not-really-a-blog at https://sites.google.com/site/molnarm...)
As many authors seem intent on doing, Lewis wastes no time getting under my skin, as the answer given to the first puzzle is wrong. A word of advice -- if you ever write a poem based on The Raven, and that poem is actually a math puzzle, and you think it would be cute to include the phrase "never four", then make sure the answer is not actually four!
The effectiveness of the poems, and of the puzzles, varies, as the author has tried to match the writing style to that of the original author. I particularly enjoyed "William Carlos Williams's Pizza" - the stark style fit the task well, and the associated puzzle had some puzzle to it, without spelling out the exact steps. The Lewis Carroll didn't work as well. I also may have learned something from "John Ciardi's Shark Dentist", while for "Robert Frost's Boxer Shorts", the art and the title far surpassed the alleged "puzzle". The author also needs to observe that "twice more" than a quantity is not the same thing as twice that quantity.
There are short bios at the end of each of the afflicted poets, which may inspire some further 'research' by the younguns, or, as a matter of fact, myself.
Hard to rate such a work; barely earns a fourth star from me on the strength of the painting of the boxer shorts.
(from my not-really-a-blog at https://sites.google.com/site/molnarm...)
March 1, 2012
This book's title clearly spells out exactly what its pages contain. Cleverly combining poetry and math in 14 poems based on classic lines written by famous but now deceased poets, Lewis poses problems that need solutions. One of my favorites included "Edgar Allan Poe's Apple Pie" with this introduction: "Once upon a midnight rotten,/ Cold and rainy, I'd forgotten/ All about the apple pie/ Still cooling from the hour before" (p. 8). In "Emily Dickinson's Telephone Book," readers are asked to figure out on what pages a telephone book had closed, relying on her memory of the sum of the opposing pages. I've lost count of the times I have recited "Robert Frost's Boxer Shorts" which was inspired by his "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening." Who can resist a poem that ends, "My tightie whities looks so sad" (p. 21)? The solution to each math problem is provided at the bottom of the poem's page. Of course, I was intrigued by the poetry and couldn't resist trying to solve the problems. Back matter includes thumbnail sketches of the 14 poets whose prose landed them in mathematical dilemmas in the hands of Lewis. The fun is heightened by the digitally painted and Photoshopped collages that fit the poems to a T. This is a brilliant idea for a poetry collection and a satisfying final product.
December 9, 2012
Brilliant. I can't wait to share this with teachers. Math and poetry and a puzzle. Simply wonderful.
June 2, 2017
Once upon a midnight rotten
Cold, and rainy, I'd forgotten
All about the apple pie
Still cooling from the hour before.
I ignored the frightful stranger
Knocking, knocking... I, sleepwalking,
Pitter-pattered toward the pantry,
Took a knife from the kitchen drawer,
And screamed aloud, "How many cuts
Give me ten pieces?" through the door,
The stranger bellowed, "Never four!"
Answer: 5 cuts
Cute little math problems inspired by famous poems like the one above are incased in this book.
Very cute, but the humor of the allusions went right over my 9-year-old sister's head.
3.75 stars
Cold, and rainy, I'd forgotten
All about the apple pie
Still cooling from the hour before.
I ignored the frightful stranger
Knocking, knocking... I, sleepwalking,
Pitter-pattered toward the pantry,
Took a knife from the kitchen drawer,
And screamed aloud, "How many cuts
Give me ten pieces?" through the door,
The stranger bellowed, "Never four!"
Answer: 5 cuts
Cute little math problems inspired by famous poems like the one above are incased in this book.
Very cute, but the humor of the allusions went right over my 9-year-old sister's head.
3.75 stars
June 25, 2018
I still hate math, but this does take some of the sting off! I agree with other reviewers that you really need to use both the original poem and the math puzzle poem in order to get the most benefit for you (or your child).
August 1, 2019
my favorite moment in reading this went something like this:
me - reading EVERY poem aloud - and the william carlos williams' one twice, because laughing.
kid: mom, there's a shark in this book!
me: that's the "shark dentist" based on john ciardi!
hubs: uh, john ciardi is a BIG deal; he's a legitimate poet!
me: yeah, and william carlos williams and edgar allan poe were just recreational dabblers?
reader, i married him.
but this is a fun one - although the poems and illustrations entertained my six-year-old, but the math was probably more suited to my older girls. do with that what you will.
me - reading EVERY poem aloud - and the william carlos williams' one twice, because laughing.
kid: mom, there's a shark in this book!
me: that's the "shark dentist" based on john ciardi!
hubs: uh, john ciardi is a BIG deal; he's a legitimate poet!
me: yeah, and william carlos williams and edgar allan poe were just recreational dabblers?
reader, i married him.
but this is a fun one - although the poems and illustrations entertained my six-year-old, but the math was probably more suited to my older girls. do with that what you will.
March 21, 2018
This book is a compendium of Edgar Allan Poe's stories and poems, changed minutely in order to make them into mathematical problems. This humorous approach to mixing math and poetry that rhymes, is a refreshing approach to teaching students both. The book is a very appropriate resource for middle school students who need practice listening to math problems. At the same time, the poems make math problems an engaging way to get students interested in word problems. The illustrations are engaging, poetry is hilarious and the math is real!
October 28, 2012
Oh I wish I was teaching math again. It would be great fun to pose these poems (problems) to the students. J. Patrick Lewis has written arithmetic problems within poems based on well-known poet’s poems, like "The Raven" by Poe, Nash’s "The Termite", and Farjeon’s "W Is For Witch". I guess that this could be used for those studying basic arithmetic up to pre-algebra. The problems are not all easily created (and solved) because the poems add mystery and even a little confusion in the telling. This could also be used in poetry writing, asking students to find their own favorite poem to adapt for a math problem. The illustrations by Michael Slack enhance the poems and add much to the tongue-in-cheek flavor of Lewis’ clever wording. For example, in response to the wording of the poem from Dickinson’s "My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close"—"My book closed twice before its close--/The two opposing pages/That added up to 113--/Were smudged around the edges--", and on—showed only Emily’s feet from the covers with her dog sitting on the book, the room in some disarray. It’s a delight to read and to try to uncover the answers, which are given in very small print at the bottom of the pages. The backmatter adds small biographies of each poet.
May 3, 2013
Our oldest borrowed this book from her elementary school library - it's a wonderful book of poems that combines the rhythm and style of famous poems with a math puzzle. The poems are often humorous and most of the math is fairly straightforward. I would recommend having a pencil and paper handy, especially for children who want to do the puzzles, but cannot do all of the steps in their head.
We wanted to take our time to read all the poems, but the book was due back at the library, so I read through the last six poems or so rather quickly, explaining the math, rather than having our girls do it themselves. I thought a couple of the problems were a little confusing, but on the whole, they were a good challenge.
The illustrations are very bright and cartoonish and make the poetry/math book fun to read aloud. I also appreciated the short biographical sketches of the featured poets at the end of the book. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
We wanted to take our time to read all the poems, but the book was due back at the library, so I read through the last six poems or so rather quickly, explaining the math, rather than having our girls do it themselves. I thought a couple of the problems were a little confusing, but on the whole, they were a good challenge.
The illustrations are very bright and cartoonish and make the poetry/math book fun to read aloud. I also appreciated the short biographical sketches of the featured poets at the end of the book. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
June 27, 2012
classic poems x math = 1 cooky funny book
Mr. Lewis has done a wonderful job spoofing classic poems such as Edgar Allen Poe's 'Raven' or A.A. Milne's 'Us By Two' for the children with a touch of math. The illustrations are silly and eye-catching, perfect for engaging the reader.
Some of my favorites are:
Elephant with Hot Dog
Boxer Shorts
Buggy Rugs
Elephant with a Hot Dog
When an elephant sat down to order
A half of a third of a quarter
Of an eighty-foot bun
Was it longer than three feet, or a quarter?
This book is very good at what it is, a creative way to learn about poetry and math; however I do not see this as being a general read. Since I don't have much experience with poetry I felt I couldn't truly appreciate the spoof aspect, even though I do love math.I think this would be a great supplement for teaching math and poetry units for ages 8 and up.
Mr. Lewis has done a wonderful job spoofing classic poems such as Edgar Allen Poe's 'Raven' or A.A. Milne's 'Us By Two' for the children with a touch of math. The illustrations are silly and eye-catching, perfect for engaging the reader.
Some of my favorites are:
Elephant with Hot Dog
Boxer Shorts
Buggy Rugs
Elephant with a Hot Dog
When an elephant sat down to order
A half of a third of a quarter
Of an eighty-foot bun
Was it longer than three feet, or a quarter?
This book is very good at what it is, a creative way to learn about poetry and math; however I do not see this as being a general read. Since I don't have much experience with poetry I felt I couldn't truly appreciate the spoof aspect, even though I do love math.I think this would be a great supplement for teaching math and poetry units for ages 8 and up.
November 4, 2016
Disappointing. The poems are just story problems forced into the scheme of famous poets' works. The puzzles are mostly simple arithmetic - the hardest part is figuring out what the narrator is asking of the solver as he stumbles over the rhymes. And though there are brief bios of the poets, the original poems are not included (though the titles are, so I suppose most folks could look them up).
I took the words "math" and "in" literally in the title, and hoped that Lewis had found classic poems that actually had maths, like geometry or logic or probability, in them. Not "arithmetic" "inspired by."
I took the words "math" and "in" literally in the title, and hoped that Lewis had found classic poems that actually had maths, like geometry or logic or probability, in them. Not "arithmetic" "inspired by."
February 20, 2012
A clever, fun collection of brain teasers.
February 5, 2016
Just what I was looking for
October 27, 2017
Any bibliophile-classics-Loving-homeschooling parent is sure to love this book. Good read aloud. The middle kids and up understand better to work the problems out, the littles just guess for fun.
June 15, 2017
LOVE LOVE LOVE. This book is awesome! Several short poems, many famous, are told in different ways to include math problems! Poems that most adults know from growing up, have been adapted to work within other major areas of elementary education.
The pictures will capture anyones attention. Taking up the entirety of the page, and even extending into the gutter, these illustrations are bright and inviting. I love the one with the shark!
I would want to have many books like this in my class so that I could start the day with math brainteasers from it! This would be a great start-of-day activity, and could be recorded in a daily journal. I think we could even leave the harder ones up for the week and work together to solve them.
The pictures will capture anyones attention. Taking up the entirety of the page, and even extending into the gutter, these illustrations are bright and inviting. I love the one with the shark!
I would want to have many books like this in my class so that I could start the day with math brainteasers from it! This would be a great start-of-day activity, and could be recorded in a daily journal. I think we could even leave the harder ones up for the week and work together to solve them.
September 8, 2018
Why am I just finding out about this book?! It's so cool! Each poem is inspired by a famous poet like Edgar Allan, Emily Dickerson, Robert Frost, and more! While these poems are more kid-friendly, they can be a way to introduce the poets that inspired the readings. Math problems are woven into each poem. The math problems may be a little too hard for younger children so this is a good book for children who are working on their multiplication and division skills. The steps and answers to each math problem are provided so the child can check their work on their own. I love how this book is inspired by famous poets, puts a new humorous twist on old writings, and incorporates math all in one.
November 19, 2017
This book was so fun! The author takes inspiration from well known, classic poems and turns them into silly poems with math. For example, The Raven by Poe is rewritten to be about apple pie. Many of the poems include math riddles.
I’d use this for a fun hook before math time. What a great way to engage students and help them see the silly side of math. Great for 3rd to 5th graders.
Genre~poetry
I’d use this for a fun hook before math time. What a great way to engage students and help them see the silly side of math. Great for 3rd to 5th graders.
Genre~poetry
January 31, 2019
The pretty short book, which is named above, has a crow on the cover, not a dove! The boook has a mans fish and chips in a stack, while little kids, ride on a yak. This wonderful book is full of rhymes, in fact I read, more than one time! It took not long to read, for this little book, I really need. Its making me laugh, especially with the old man with a staff.
Thanks for reading the review! It rhymed!
Thanks for reading the review! It rhymed!
July 11, 2019
This clever book has 15 unique poems that are inspired by classic poets such as Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickenson. Each poem as been written to also have a math problem built into it. This is a great way to get elementary aged children to read and understand a unique word problem and then they can also complete the math problems as they read each poem. The pictures are engaging and humorous. This book also has information at the end about the poets that inspired each poem.
March 6, 2023
This silly book takes classic poems ("The Raven," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"...) and changes the words around to make it about math. And each poem is a puzzle for the reader to solve. Whether we're trying to determine how to cut a pie into ten slices, or figure out the cost of a pair of underwear, etc., each poem is both a brain teaser and a funny-bone-tickler that gets kids thinking about math in a more favorable way.
October 18, 2017
Classic poems parodied into math problems? I am so in love!!! So many lessons to be had with writing and poetry while learning math. Topics covered fractions, ticket costs, percents, multiplication, etc. Then at the very end there are mini bios about the poets whose poems are mentioned throughout the book. Seriously, this one is fantastic. Poetry.
March 23, 2022
Math puzzlers in classic poems. J.Patrick Lewis has reworked several poems from famous by poets and made them into math puzzles. I’m going to work these with my kids. The artwork is delightful and I loved that he included information to go back to the original poem and little tidbits about the poets.
March 25, 2023
I loved this book! I read it for a course at my university as part of an integrating math into reading project, and fell in love with the writing style. I love that Lewis combines takes on classic poetry with fun math problems, as a way to engage young readers and mathematicians!
May 24, 2017
Poems with arithmetic math problems.
Read
December 4, 2017I would use this book in my classroom when teaching basic math while also learning about poetry. It would be a great idea to get the students to solve the puzzles as we work our way through the book.
January 26, 2018
poetry- Very easy and fun read. I didn't actually do the math but I looked at the answers. The last pages were very full of information.
April 11, 2018
Poetry. This book is awesome! The math puzzles are so fun! It would be fun to read the original poems with the kids and analyze them, and then have the math version during the math lesson.
November 26, 2019
This book is a cute introduction to poetry for students. It has whimsical allusions to other famous poets and a poem relating to each. Very fun!
February 11, 2021
As someone who does not enjoy math all that much this book combines math and poetry in one making the math a little more fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews