Zachary Zormer Shape Transformer: A Math Adventure by Joanne A Reisberg (1-Jul-2006) Paperback

Charlesbridge Math Adventures

by Joanne Anderson Reisberg

Friday is Zachary Zormer's favorite day of the week. At least it is until he realizes he forgot this week's assignment, "Bring in something fun to measure." Tyler, the class show-off, brings a picture of himself from the newspaper. How can Zack top that when all he has to work with is a piece of paper he finds in his pocket? Week after week Zack takes on a different math concept (length, width, area, perimeter) with surprising projects including a mobius strip, a paper frame large enough to step through, and a light show that demonstrates how the sun heats the earth.

Genres: Mathematics, Picture Books, Childrens

Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the excellent rhyme in the title of "Zachary Zormer: Shape Transformer," this is a fine work of fiction, scaled to young readers. And educational, to boot.

At the start of this story, our hero Zachary finds out that he made a mistake. He didn't come prepared to class on Friday. All he brought was a piece of paper, that happened to be in his pocket.

"Oh rats, I forgot! I was supposed to bring in something fun to measure."

But when he is called on, inspiration dawns. Zachary makes a mobius strip, and explains it.

Later in the book, this clever boy makes a paper frame large enough to step through. He also improvises a light show. This demonstrates how the sun heats the earth.

FIVE STARS for a brilliant book that is also well illustrated . . . and tremendously entertaining.

[Ally Copper · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Zachary Zormer Shape Transformer: A Math Adventure" by Joanne Reisberg will appeal to young male readers because of the competition aspect at its center. Zachary Zormer's class at school has a math-related show-and-tell activity every Friday. And every Friday Zachary misplaces or forgets the item he was planning to talk about. Classmate Tyler always has something really impressive to share with the class. Zachary, covering his jealousy, has something clever to say about all of Tyler's show-and-tell items. Zachary is always in a panic as he approaches the front of the classroom and searches his pockets for something to share. Luckily Zachary is quick on his feet and can turn the simplest items from his pockets, such as scraps of paper or a small flashlight, into items that perfectly fit that week's theme. While Zachary impresses his classmates with his last-minute show-and-tell presentations, readers are benefited by learning the math concepts that Zachary is demonstrating to his classmates. Trying to find out whether Zachary bests Tyler is sure to keep readers engaged, and the math concepts that are explained are sure to make this a favorite book among math teachers. The actual activities -- creating a Moebius strip, cutting an expanding frame, and altering a beam of light to cover a larger surface area -- are all explained in greater detail in the back of the book. The author does an effective job of combining educational concepts into an interesting story with kid appeal.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best for kids ages 6 and up
Early Literacy Skills: Print Motivation, Vocabulary, Narrative Skills

From cover:
Zack's a real cut-up. Friday used to be Zachary Zormer's favorite day - now he's not so sure. Each Friday everyone has to bring in something to measure. No big deal, except that this Friday Zack forgot! What's he ging to do? He has to go right after the kid who always brings neat stuff. All Zack has is a scrap of paper in his pocket. Good thing he's also got a lot of imagination! Zack's got it all covered - length, width, perimeter and area. Can you double the length of a strip of paper without cutting it? Zachary Zormer, Shape Transformer, can!

Soft, colorful illustrations help to show how math can transform things.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story is about a boy who has to come up with his weekly math show & tell at the spur of the moment (he forgets it, he forgets his backpack, etc.), but comes up with some cool ones. There's a little competitiveness side-story and the two boys make friends at the end.

The assignments for each week's show & tell are in the illustrations not the text. His show & tell will make you want to get out paper and follow along.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grades 2-4. Picture Book. The story’s side story is didactic, but Zachary keeps forgetting his Friday homework assignment to bring something in to measure. He makes due with what he has in his pockets and comes up with some amazing things.

[Jodi Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was a great way to look at shapes and measurement. I would use this book and have the students create their own shapes. To make it a little more complex, I would have them stay within certain measurements.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would work well for 3-5 grade class visits. It could be read, and the "shape tranformations" could be done as an activity.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun examples of easy paper transformations. Zachary teaches his classmates how to make a Möbius strip and how to step through a 4x6 card.