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Full House: An Invitation to Fractions
With Dayle Ann Dodds’s engaging rhymes and Abby Carter’s dynamic illustrations, this introduction to fractions is a piece of cake.
Miss Bloom runs the Strawberry Inn, and she absolutely loves visitors. Throughout the day, she welcomes a cast of hilarious characters, from a duchess to a dog trainer, until all the rooms are taken. It’s a full house! But in the middle of the night, Miss Bloom realizes that something is just not right — and sure enough, downstairs the guests are eating her cake. Readers will be happily inspired to do the math and discover that one delicious cake divided by five hungry guests and one hospitable hostess equals a perfect midnight snack at the Strawberry Inn.
Miss Bloom runs the Strawberry Inn, and she absolutely loves visitors. Throughout the day, she welcomes a cast of hilarious characters, from a duchess to a dog trainer, until all the rooms are taken. It’s a full house! But in the middle of the night, Miss Bloom realizes that something is just not right — and sure enough, downstairs the guests are eating her cake. Readers will be happily inspired to do the math and discover that one delicious cake divided by five hungry guests and one hospitable hostess equals a perfect midnight snack at the Strawberry Inn.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 9, 2007
2 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Dayle Ann Dodds
25 books6 followersDayle Ann Dodds is the author of numerous picture books for children, including THE SHAPE OF THINGS, TEACHER'S PETS, THE GREAT DIVIDE: A MATHEMATICAL MARATHON, and MINNIE'S DINER: A MULTIPLYING MENU. A former elementary school teacher, she lives in Carmel Valley, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
June 8, 2018
Who thought fractions could be so easily described and so fun to learn! Use this book; it will help get the concept across!
Ages: 6 - 9
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
Ages: 6 - 9
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
November 18, 2019
Fun book introducing the concept of fractions!
February 10, 2013
This book makes learning fractions so much fun! The author, Dayle Ann Dodds, is a former elementary teacher. She was inspired to write this book because fractions were somewhat difficult for her to understand. This story was about Miss Bloom who was the owner of Strawberry Inn and her goal was to have all the rooms filled. She had six rooms in her inn; she occupied one which meant she counted for 1/6. As each guest arrived, she displays the fraction of how many rooms were filled. The book has a nice little twist, where all the guest sneak out to eat Miss Blooms cake. They cut it into six equal parts and left one slice for Miss Bloom (1/6). By using the cake at the end of the book, it is really helpful with children understanding fractions with using one particular thing, instead of just having students learn random fractions. I think that this book is very fun and helpful for lower elementary grades when introducing basic fractions. This book helps children to understand that fractions are a part of a whole. This book is very engaging because it uses a combination of rhyme and repetition. Also the illustrations are very detailed and elaborate and show the fractions. This book shows children that fractions exist in their everyday lives.
November 6, 2016
Book summary: This is a cute book introducing fractions to kids. This book is about Miss Bloom and her inn and there were six rooms and all were filled but throughout the book she said what fraction of the house was full. There was also a strawberry cake cut into six picees that the guests ate but left one piece or 1/6th of the cake for Miss Bloom. This book also rhymes and has great pictures.
Grade level: 1-5
Appropriate classroom use: This would be a great book to read around math time to get the kids excited about the introduction to fractions. This book also rhymes so you could do a fun rhyming activity with this book as well. It is also an easy read so the kids can practice their reading while enjoying a fun entertaining book.
Indv. students who benefit: Those that are interested in learning about fractions and enjoy math.
Small group use: This could be a good book that students can visually see what fractions are and how they work. They can be given a problem based on this book like what fraction of the chocolate bar was eaten and figure it out.
Whole class use: This would be a fantastic book to read aloud.
Related books: Books by the same author, books about math like"Spaghetti and Meatballs for All!"
Multimedia connections: Available as hardcover and paperback.
Grade level: 1-5
Appropriate classroom use: This would be a great book to read around math time to get the kids excited about the introduction to fractions. This book also rhymes so you could do a fun rhyming activity with this book as well. It is also an easy read so the kids can practice their reading while enjoying a fun entertaining book.
Indv. students who benefit: Those that are interested in learning about fractions and enjoy math.
Small group use: This could be a good book that students can visually see what fractions are and how they work. They can be given a problem based on this book like what fraction of the chocolate bar was eaten and figure it out.
Whole class use: This would be a fantastic book to read aloud.
Related books: Books by the same author, books about math like"Spaghetti and Meatballs for All!"
Multimedia connections: Available as hardcover and paperback.
September 15, 2018
A book about fractions. It's mostly a counting book of fractions and we count in sixths as we fill up a house with 6 bedrooms.
At the end, we see sixths a different way as the owner comes down to find her slice (1/6) as the only piece of cake left.
Note that the book doesn't simplify the fractions along the way (so, we have 4/6, not 2/3 or even 4/6=2/3). This is really all about the definition of a fraction. No mention of vocabulary like numerator or denominator, but it all still works.
At the end, we see sixths a different way as the owner comes down to find her slice (1/6) as the only piece of cake left.
Note that the book doesn't simplify the fractions along the way (so, we have 4/6, not 2/3 or even 4/6=2/3). This is really all about the definition of a fraction. No mention of vocabulary like numerator or denominator, but it all still works.
June 11, 2018
Uh, I don’t get all the enthusiasm for this book. It’s illustrations are energetic, and it’s characters are amusing, but I’m at a loss to see how this helps young learners grasp the underlying idea of fractions. Maybe it’s a start, but it seems that the book’s energy is in the collection of characters who stay at the inn. The math seems like an add-on rather than integral to the creation.
November 28, 2020
This book is very purposeful and is a great way to introduce fractions! The story was engaging and I enjoyed that it rhymed. I can see myself using this book with different math activities! I like how at the bottom of the pages the fractions were explained in a different color, making it clear how fractions were present.
May 28, 2019
This is a very fun book and a great way to introduce fractions to an individual or a classroom. It combines engaging poems along with math concepts. This book is written by a former elementary school teacher and you can tell. It also has entertaining illustrations!
January 16, 2017
It is a fun way to introduce fractions to a class. Gets students brainstorming about fractions in real life.
January 29, 2019
A super great introduction to fractions. The illustrations are very engaging. The rhyming structure pulled the kids in. 10 minutes well spent!
September 27, 2019
Cross-curricular learning - learning mathematics through a book.
October 11, 2020
This book is all about getting the house full. It also teaches fractions throughout the book with the guest that come into the house
June 23, 2021
The rhyming in this book is delightful for phonetic reading. The math part about fractions is actually very, very small. But it is great for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners.
April 5, 2022
We used our fraction blocks to make each fraction as we read the book. Explores 1/6 to 6/6.
November 27, 2016
Brief Review
This realistic fiction follows Mrs. Bloom, who lives in an inn with 6 rooms. As each new guest arrives, the rooms are shown in the form of a fraction. Each guest is more unusual and querky than the last. This clever book introduces the daunting world of fractions in a fun, entertaining way.
Content Area
This book could be a fun way to introduce students to fractions. In a math class, the teacher could visually show each room being occupied as the story is read. Each tenant at the hotel is so fun and unusual. For an art class, I like the idea of students drawing and describing a character from their imagination. Rhyming is used throughout the story. Students could be asked to write down as many rhyming pairs as they hear.
Comprehension Questions
Mrs. Bloom has 2 rooms occupied and 4 room vacant. How can you show this in fraction form? Mrs. Bloom has 2/6 of her rooms occupied. This would be simplified to 1/3.
Mrs. Bloom has all her rooms occupied. Mr. Jones checks out. In fraction form, how many rooms are available? 1/6
Wonders
Does Mrs. Bloom get sad when her guests check out?
Do any of the dogs pee in her house?
I wonder if Mrs. Bloom has any helpers at the inn.
This realistic fiction follows Mrs. Bloom, who lives in an inn with 6 rooms. As each new guest arrives, the rooms are shown in the form of a fraction. Each guest is more unusual and querky than the last. This clever book introduces the daunting world of fractions in a fun, entertaining way.
Content Area
This book could be a fun way to introduce students to fractions. In a math class, the teacher could visually show each room being occupied as the story is read. Each tenant at the hotel is so fun and unusual. For an art class, I like the idea of students drawing and describing a character from their imagination. Rhyming is used throughout the story. Students could be asked to write down as many rhyming pairs as they hear.
Comprehension Questions
Mrs. Bloom has 2 rooms occupied and 4 room vacant. How can you show this in fraction form? Mrs. Bloom has 2/6 of her rooms occupied. This would be simplified to 1/3.
Mrs. Bloom has all her rooms occupied. Mr. Jones checks out. In fraction form, how many rooms are available? 1/6
Wonders
Does Mrs. Bloom get sad when her guests check out?
Do any of the dogs pee in her house?
I wonder if Mrs. Bloom has any helpers at the inn.
April 11, 2011
A cute book that introduces fractions! I love how this book discusses fractions as pieces of a whole. Another reason why I like this book, is because the fractions increase by a constant rate. This allows students to better gain an understanding for the concept, rather than showing random fractions such as 1/6, 7/8, 2/3, etc. It is harder to make this series of fractions concrete because the number of pieces in the whole are not equal. By keeping the amount to make a whole consistent and increasing by a consistent fractional piece, it is easier to see the pattern and observe the concept. A great math book, that may benefit students and help them see fractions in a conceptual way. This book can connect to a students home. How many people fill up your house? How full would your house be if two people were not home? Find different questions to create a text-to self connection to the students.
April 29, 2014
Miss Bloom runs the Strawberry Inn. Here, she has 6 rooms and many different people who are deciding to stay in these rooms. As each person checks in to stay in the rooms, a fraction is shown (1/6) stating that one person is occupying a room, out of a total of 6 rooms. The book continues to count up as the Inn starts to fill up. This would be a great book to introduce my students to fractions. If I have a document camera in my classroom, it would be fun to put this book under the camera and follow along as I read the fractions. Because fractions are very difficult for kids to understand with it’s entire new vocabulary, I believe this book is a great beginning book to fractions. I could use this with any upper grade level, but I think it would work best in fourth and fifth grades and possibly into the middle grades.
April 3, 2016
Full House: An Invitation to Fractions is just that, and invitation. It is a very cute and well illustrated children's book about Miss Bloom's Strawberry Inn and all of the visitors who come to stay with her there. I can appreciate this book for what its intentions are, as a very brief introduction to fractions, and would love to utilize this in my future classroom for that very purpose. The story line and different visitors to the Inn keep readers engaged and the final part of the book not only further explains the idea of fractions built up throughout the entire book, but also leaves children with a positive idea of math and fractions. I would like to use some of the same themes from this book to further expand this lesson, such as the Inn and the cake at the end. Overall, I really enjoy this book and would love to use it in future curriculum!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2015
Personal reaction: This is a fun story that children are sure to enjoy. The author presents fractions in a way that young children can understand without going over their heads. It is an overall cute story that is rather simple with rhymes. While this is a great starter story, it only includes fractions of sixths.
Purpose: This would be a good read aloud to go along with math lessons on fractions. This would be a good book when introducing fractions and discussing fractions as parts of a whole. You could have students make their own inn with the six rooms and fill them as the story progresses, helping them visualize the fractions. A good extension would be having students write their own fraction story using other denominators.
Purpose: This would be a good read aloud to go along with math lessons on fractions. This would be a good book when introducing fractions and discussing fractions as parts of a whole. You could have students make their own inn with the six rooms and fill them as the story progresses, helping them visualize the fractions. A good extension would be having students write their own fraction story using other denominators.
March 14, 2016
I really enjoyed this book about simple fractions. Miss Bloom is the owner of the Strawberry Inn. She hopes to fill her inn with 5 guests + herself will equal a full house since their are 6 rooms. With each guest that arrives we see the fraction 1/6, 2/6, 3/6 and so on. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. And when Miss Bloom goes to bed all the guests sneak down to the kitchen where they enjoy the cake that she has made. When she goes down she sees that their is 1/6 of the cake left, just enough for her. I think children will appreciate this picture book regarding the math concept of fractions. The story is told in rhymes. Appropriate for students in grades 1-3.
March 18, 2016
I really enjoyed this book about simple fractions. Miss Bloom is the owner of the Strawberry Inn. She hopes to fill her inn with 5 guests + herself will equal a full house since their are 6 rooms. With each guest that arrives we see the fraction 1/6, 2/6, 3/6 and so on. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. And when Miss Bloom goes to bed all the guests sneak down to the kitchen where they enjoy the cake that she has made. When she goes down she sees that their is 1/6 of the cake left, just enough for her. I think children will appreciate this picture book regarding the math concept of fractions. The story is told in rhymes. Appropriate for students in grades 1-3.
April 18, 2012
Miss Bloom runs the Strawberry Inn, and she loves visitors. All through the day she welcomes a cast of hilarious characters until all the rooms are taken. It’s a full house! But in the middle of the night, Miss Bloom senses that something is amiss — and sure enough, the guests are all downstairs eating dessert. Readers will be inspired to do the math and discover that one delicious cake divided by five hungry guests and one doting hostess equals a perfect midnight snack at the Strawberry Inn. I am going to use this book next week when we start learning about fractions!
November 10, 2013
I was quite disappointed in this book despite the fact that both of my children enjoyed it. The story itself is simply and nicely written. However, I felt that more could have been done with the fractions, such as saying that 3/6 is also one half. I felt that this could have been done without taking away from the story. To be fair, I may not have expected anything more if the cover hadn't said "an invitation to fractions". The story itself was quick, simple, and captivating even for my 9 year old.
June 6, 2011
This book could be used with students to introduce fractions as students read about an inn that is not full but starts to fill as new guests arrive. The book shows the fraction of the inn that is filled on each page but I think it would be helpful to allow students to think about this using maNipulatives or possibly shading in a house with six rooms on their own as guests arrive in the story. I could see using this book to introduce fractions to the class probably to second or third graders.
May 18, 2012
This adorably illustrated book invites one to open the pages and learn about fractions without even realizing it. The simple rhyming story subtly explores fractions as one hilarious guest after another takes a room at Miss Bloom’s Strawberry Inn until it’s a full house. Children learn about fractions as each vacancy is filled and slices of strawberry cake with whipped cream are devoured. Math Principles + Fun = Winning Combination!
November 27, 2012
This book is about a lady who runs the Strawberry Inn and it becomes full with guests who then end up splitting a cake into individual pieces and dividing it up. I would use this book to teach fractions and dividing and I would probably bring in a strawberry cake and have the children decide and explore with how to cut and divide it. (With plastic knives of course!) This book has beautiful illustrations and also rhymes throughout so it could also be used to talk about rhyming words.
February 1, 2008
Cheerfully wobbly illustrations combine with rhyme, repetition and a cast of colourful characters to make this sneaky introduction to fractions a read-aloud hit.
You can listen to our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
You can listen to our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
February 6, 2008
The rhymes are not engaging, they are wobbly. Throwing the fraction theme in makes this educational, but it seems forced.
And who is this for? It seems too little kid for the children doing fractions. That is unless all those incredibly "gifted and talented" 3 year olds out there are now learning fractions along with second languages and stringed instruments.
And who is this for? It seems too little kid for the children doing fractions. That is unless all those incredibly "gifted and talented" 3 year olds out there are now learning fractions along with second languages and stringed instruments.
September 20, 2011
Great book for introduction of fractions. Book uses rhymes to make the book flow easily. Owner has six rooms and she eventually fills them up with guests, during which 1/6, 2/6 etc is shown. At end they eat a cake and it shows a pie form cut into 6 pieces and labeled each as 1/6. Underneath the dish it shows that 6/6 = 1. Great to have in the library during your fraction lesson plans.
April 7, 2012
This is an excellent way to intoduce student to using fraction. I really like the way the fraction is shown at the bottom of each page. In the book Full House, Mrs Bloom has six rooms that she is trying to occupy. When the room is filled, then there is a cute rhyme the book sings over and over.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews