[What's Your Angle, Pythagoras? (Charlesbridge Math Adventures)] [By: Ellis, Julie] [July, 2004]

Pythagoras Math Adventure

by Julie Ellis

In ancient Greece, young Pythagoras discovers a special number pattern (the Pythagorean theorem) and uses it to solve problems involving right triangles.

Genres: Mathematics, Picture Books, Childrens, Ancient History, History, Nonfiction, Greece

Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

About the author

Julie Ellis is the author of many books for children, including What's Your Angle, Pythagoras?, which she wrote as a way to show her daughter the uses of the Pythagorean Theorem. She lives in New Zealand.

Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a classic for our family. We enjoyed learning of the Pythagorean theorem again today—in kid language. Excellent!

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 7th grade Math teacher in my school read this to her 7th graders last weeek, and I had to check it out. Like Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi and the other books in that series, the narratives helps you truly understand the Pythagorean Theorum. I had memorized it and never quite understood how it would be useful in real life or how it really works. I won't forget now, I bet! If you have a kid learning this Math concept, I can't recommend these kinds of books enough.

[Ardyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline is interesting for picture book age range, not dissimilar to the Sir Cumference series in style and tone. The difference -- an important one -- is that Pythagoras was a real person, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria was a real building. Each has its spot in a particular time.

Pythagoras could have learned from *some* Egyptian builder. Probably did, at least in part. Not a builder of the Lighthouse, though! That came 300 years later...

It is already difficult enough to comprehend the scale of ancient history. The choices made for this story are the Time equivalent of those "zoo animals" sources that lump creatures from Africa and Asia together as if they all live nearby -- it sows misapprehension.

A fantasy delivery a la Sir Cumference (without real people or structures) -- or even an imagining of some anonymous Egyptian builder of unnamed edifices -- would've kept the good aspects of this story while avoiding all that.

[Ishaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it tells you about how the Ancient Greeks measured Lengths and stuff about math and plus its like a real adventure, so that’s why I like this book

[booklady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming fictional account of how the young Pythagoras might have discovered his famous theorem. If you (or your students) are not mathematical and stories help you understand abstract concepts, this book might be a good introduction/help for those starting Geometry. In any event, it is an enjoyable read.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was about ancient Greece and that's good. It has math in it. I liked it because the math is like really hard.

[JayD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best children's math story I've come across. The charm comes from the illustrations, featuring a young Pythagoras who is never discouraged no matter how much the adults dismiss him as a pest. He just wants to use his math ideas to be helpful—and he is, solving one problem after another for those dismissive adults. How could any child not identify with such a clever, cheerful boy?

I’m impressed by how Julie Ellis has made Pythagoras’ steps to understanding the 3-4-5 right-angled triangle into an interesting story. A trip to Egypt, squabbling builders, a distraught father, boxes of square tiles, and an heirloom rope all go into the mix. That takes us through most of the book with no more arithmetic needed than 3*3 + 4*4 = 25 = 5*5 (Pythagoras’ theorem). If a child is willing to take that on trust, or accept a little help, the book works for even 5- or 6-year-olds.

After that, Pythagoras solves two more right triangles, 5-12-13 and 111-148-185. Those are for older children, who can not only multiply 111*111 and 148*148, but find the square root of 34,225. Or, of course, take Pythagoras’ working on trust.

Mostly, I just liked Phyllis Hornung’s pictures. The narrowed eyes and pursed lips of Pythagoras’ mother and father when they suspect Pythagoras of messing with the workmen’s ladder is a classic.

Pepros turned to Pythagoras, “You did something to our ladder!”

“Has Pythagoras been bothering you again?” his father asked, frowning.

Saltos shook his head, “No! He made our ladder the perfect length. We will be able to finish the roof now.”

Apparently, this is one of series of Charlesbridge Math Adventures, so I’ll have to check out the others. I liked this one simply because it features a real historical character, which adds to the interest of the story.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a neat look at the Pythagorean Theorem through a fictional story about Pythagoras as a kid. The geometric visuals are nice, because blocks are used to show the way the three sides of the triangles relate to each other, and then the story helps illustrate (in more than one way) *why* knowing the relationship of a right triangle's sides can help people do things more efficiently (something important for kids). My 2nd grader and 5th grader enjoyed it. While I can accept that the story is fictitious since we don't know much about Pythagoras's childhood, the inclusion of anachronistic elements (like the lighthouse at Alexandria, which wasn't built at the time) seemed unnecessary to me -- even though the author acknowledges the muddled timeline.

[Lorelei Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great overview of the story of Pythagoras and how he finds the right angles in order to know how to best get various jobs done such as building the temple and helping his father find the fastest route to Crete in order to beat the other merchants.
I liked this book because of the historical background that it is able to give to the Pathagoream Therom and also because it is a book that could be incorporated for integrative learning.
I might use this book to introduce this math topic or the idea of merchants and life in the Mediterranean, how people problem solved and measured during that time.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be good for a class that is studying the Pythagorean theorem. It was never explained to me in a way that stuck, just an equation to memorize. This makes it clear why it works. What I was looking for, was an easy math tie-in to our ancient Greek studies in third grade. This is not that, except perhaps for my highest high kids.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has all the elements I love: biographical, great story-telling and educational. We read this for the first time as we were learning about the country of Greece and the continent of Europe. But, I can see this book will be pulled off our shelf for years to come. I can't wait to check out and introduce my kids to some of the other math concept books listed on the back cover.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young readers and listeners most likely will be unfamiliar with Pythagoras and the well-known formula that bears his name, but this is a nice introduction to that curious young boy who often found simpler ways to solve problems than some of the adults around him.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-told speculative account of the mathematician’s youth that explains his theorem for easy understanding. The illustrations are capable, but the books value is its introduction to the man and his great idea.

[Kristel Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with my 8th grade students at the beginning of teaching Pythagorean Theorem. The thought they were in kindergarten but I enjoyed breaking the every day routine and reading to 13-14 year olds.

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great treatment of a very specific math skill (Pythagorean theorum).

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the theory for young readers.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun fictional story of the boyhood of Pythagoras. This was an interesting introduction to Pythagoras and his theorem. A great way to learn maths. All ages enjoyed this story.

[Chappyfamily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting way to teach the kids Pythagoras theory but I don’t like teaching kids false history just to get a point across. But could just tell them it’s a story and Pythagoras was a real person.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming fictional account of how Pythagoras may have come up with his famous theorem. I appreciated the punny made-up Greek names (Saltos and Pepros lol).

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my 4th graders today and they really liked it. The understood the right angle part, but the squared parts are still a mystery.
Cute book that tells a good math story!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to explain the pythagorian equation. Read for Ellie AO Y6 studying the Greeks...krb 11/15/19

[Mallory Hargett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for learning the math theory in kid form.

[Christina Brandsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It helped me better understand the Pythagorean theorem. This is a truly delightful math book for children!

[Amy Bodkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story.

[Mafalda Vieira Nunes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and informative

[Vee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides are great explanation for his theorem and squaring numbers.

[Annette Ruane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard this story when a math teacher of mine read it to our whole class. i like this book so much because it is in relation to an actual store with how a math theorem works. It gives kids something to picture in their head when they hear Pythagoras’s Theorem. This text can help build your knowledge on math by relating the story of Pythagoras to how he came up with his theorem. I think that having some background knowledge on a subject helps the brain remember it better. Although all of the information in the story is not accurate due to the fact that this theorem was invented a long time ago and no one really knows how exactly it came to be, the setting is true and the fact that Pythagoras came up with the thermo is also true. i would totally use this book in my classroom to get kids interested n math who are more literacy inclined.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grades 2-6
--young Pythagoras watches as ancient Greek architects try to figure out how tall their ladder needs to be to reach the top of the temple they are building.
--his father is a trader that wishes there were a faster route to take him to his destination, but there is no way to know how far they would need to sail and they could get lost.
--watches a builder in Rhodes who uses a right triangle to figure out the proper ratio for cutting stone.
--learns the formula can help the architects build a ladder the right size and help his father with a quicker trade route.
--interesting to see how Pythagoras could use materials in his time to discover these principals. Great way to tie history and math together.

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful way to teach the Pythagorean Theorem! This is a fictional account about how Pythagoras came up with his famous theorem and explains it in a way that is simple to understand and makes a lot of sense. I loved learning about things like this when I was younger, and I wish I had a story like this to make it even more clear. Our girls don't understand numbers squared and angles yet, but you don't need to know how the math works to like this story. Perfect!

Though this is a fictional story, it's in the non-fiction section of the library and includes a bit of history about Pythagoras at the end.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best for kids ages 8 and up
Early Literacy Skills: Print Motivation, Vocabulary

From cover:
Will Pythagoras ever get anything right?
Pythagoras always seems to be in trouble, but it's only because he's so curious. You never know where you'll find him. He could be up in a tree with the birds, spying on workmen, or messing about with maps. He is deep into his latest adventure, and trouble, when he discovers a pattern that gets him on everyone's good side.

Great illustrations accompany this story about the origins of the Pythagorean Theorem.