What do you think?
Rate this book
Math Is CATegorical ®
The Mission of Addition
In the first book of the Math Is Categorical® series, readers will become familiar with the concept of addition and its key terms. From the author and illustrator duo of the best-selling Words Are CATegorical® series, Math Is CATegorical® introduces basic math cFrom the author and illustrator duo of the best-selling Words Are CATegorical® series, Math Is CATegorical® introduces basic math concepts for young readers and reveals that sometimes math is easier to show than explain! Pairing clever rhyming verse with comical cartoon cats, Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable help children add up just how fun math can be!
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
26 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 16, 2022
Cute rhyming book about addition. Read this to my class.
March 19, 2017
Text: 3 stars
Illustrations: 3 stars
Part of Brian Cleary's Math is CATegorical series. This one doesn't work as well with the rhyming text format of the series, because the examples are wordy. Rather than using numerical numbers, the numbers are written out as words. It takes a lot of words to explain an addition problem, that could be depicted more succinctly and clearly with numerical numbers. Therefore, less examples are given.
Illustrations: 3 stars
Part of Brian Cleary's Math is CATegorical series. This one doesn't work as well with the rhyming text format of the series, because the examples are wordy. Rather than using numerical numbers, the numbers are written out as words. It takes a lot of words to explain an addition problem, that could be depicted more succinctly and clearly with numerical numbers. Therefore, less examples are given.
September 30, 2024
The book that I chose to read was “The Mission of Addition” by Brian P. Cleary. The book contains many different situations in which addition is used in real life. It starts out with explaining that the concept of addition is growth in the total amount of things, Cleary uses the example of the amount of bubbles in the bathtub getting bigger. After, he gives examples of how amounts can be added together. It says “6 yellow buses were parked in a line. 3 pulled behind them, and then there were 9.” Cleary shares addition vocabulary words such as add, increase, and, plus, equals, totals, and even makes. He emphasizes that no number gets smaller when using addition. Cleary ends off the book by posing the question “So what is addition? Do you know?”
This book is a great pairing with the concepts included in chapter 8 of our text book. Table 8.2 on page 161 of our textbook lists structures for addition and subtraction story problems. The first concept is to join (add to), when the result is unknown. An example of this concept in “The Mission of Addition” is “7 batters plus 2 more make 9 when they are added.” For when the change is unknown Cleary gives the example of the Johnson’s babysitters. He says the 6th babysitter was Mr. Lee but the total amount is 10, so that means there were 4 more after him. He focuses on the concept of part-part whole with the whole unknown. For example, he has a picture of the problem “6 + 8 = 14.” Depending on how the book is read aloud and how the teacher facilitates the conversation, these addition problems can be seen as one part unknown and both parts unknown as well. I think this book is written excellently because it scaffolds addition, explaining what it is prior to going into examples. There is not just one avenue of example problems, it is engaging for children of all different backgrounds and interests. The factors of the problems are easy for children to relate to and gage the idea that addition is used in real life scenarios.
I would absolutely read this book in my future classroom. A specific conversation that I would have with my class directly after finishing reading this book would be to ask them to share personal experiences that they may have or may have not realized they used addition. For example, a student had 3 chicken nuggets and then they were given 3 more, so then they had 6. A lesson plan and activity that I would pair with this book would be a classroom or school scavenger hunt. Different items or pictures would be placed around the room, and the students would have to go on a scavenger hunt to find the total amount. Another great activity would be using small objects such as building blocks or pieces of candy. Starting with a certain amount, the teacher would read off prompts for them to follow and manipulate with their objects. For example, “if you have blue eyes put 3 skittles in the middle of your desk” followed by “if you have a pet dog at home put 2 skittles in the middle of your desk.” Every equation would be different depending on the child. Students with different equations would explain why they have their total, such as “I have brown eyes, but I do have a dog so I only have 2 skittles.” Both of these activities are engaging and can be changed depending on different learning needs. This book can be used to help address diverse learning needs because all of the equations can be manipulated by the teacher. If a child is struggling you can decrease the numbers, but if a learner is not being challenged you can bump up the amount.
This book is a great pairing with the concepts included in chapter 8 of our text book. Table 8.2 on page 161 of our textbook lists structures for addition and subtraction story problems. The first concept is to join (add to), when the result is unknown. An example of this concept in “The Mission of Addition” is “7 batters plus 2 more make 9 when they are added.” For when the change is unknown Cleary gives the example of the Johnson’s babysitters. He says the 6th babysitter was Mr. Lee but the total amount is 10, so that means there were 4 more after him. He focuses on the concept of part-part whole with the whole unknown. For example, he has a picture of the problem “6 + 8 = 14.” Depending on how the book is read aloud and how the teacher facilitates the conversation, these addition problems can be seen as one part unknown and both parts unknown as well. I think this book is written excellently because it scaffolds addition, explaining what it is prior to going into examples. There is not just one avenue of example problems, it is engaging for children of all different backgrounds and interests. The factors of the problems are easy for children to relate to and gage the idea that addition is used in real life scenarios.
I would absolutely read this book in my future classroom. A specific conversation that I would have with my class directly after finishing reading this book would be to ask them to share personal experiences that they may have or may have not realized they used addition. For example, a student had 3 chicken nuggets and then they were given 3 more, so then they had 6. A lesson plan and activity that I would pair with this book would be a classroom or school scavenger hunt. Different items or pictures would be placed around the room, and the students would have to go on a scavenger hunt to find the total amount. Another great activity would be using small objects such as building blocks or pieces of candy. Starting with a certain amount, the teacher would read off prompts for them to follow and manipulate with their objects. For example, “if you have blue eyes put 3 skittles in the middle of your desk” followed by “if you have a pet dog at home put 2 skittles in the middle of your desk.” Every equation would be different depending on the child. Students with different equations would explain why they have their total, such as “I have brown eyes, but I do have a dog so I only have 2 skittles.” Both of these activities are engaging and can be changed depending on different learning needs. This book can be used to help address diverse learning needs because all of the equations can be manipulated by the teacher. If a child is struggling you can decrease the numbers, but if a learner is not being challenged you can bump up the amount.
April 19, 2022
This book would be great to use when you are introducing addition to your students or your own children. It is a fun way to learn the concepts of addition, with things that children are familiar with. Connecting learning with things children are familiar with, will helps them grasp the informations better and will make them want to learn more. The illustrations are very interesting and colorful. You can tell that the illustrator took there time and thought out each illustration that was used in the book. The wording is a little busy, because it it all over the pages, rather than in the corner of the pages. The wordings are also in many different formats, which also makes it busy. Using the monsters to teach the concepts of addition, instead of just ordinary people, makes the book more interesting and fun for children.
October 6, 2024
It is an amazing introduction to addition for children. It discusses how addition's job is to combine numbers together and that your total will always grow, and it takes you through different scenarios to show you examples. The book shows students multiple vocabulary words regarding addition and takes the reader through different problems that need to be solved with addition. They have some problems written horizontally and others are vertical but they always have a visual attached. Kids can engage with the book because there are multiple problems for them to solve but the story will tell you the answer as well. Overall it is a good story that I believe can assist in teaching addition to children.
March 27, 2018
The book “The Mission of Addition” by Brian P. Cleary is a book that introduces basic math concepts, which in this case is addition. The book is written in a fun rhyme that is humorous, and makes math sound fun. The illustrations are full of color and look like fun monsters, and talk all about the different terms that are used in addition. One critique is that the book is to have more options for children to practice their skills and answer problems on their own. This way the students who are reading that book or teachers can check for understanding. Also the books has few examples of how to set up a math problem, this would also be a good addition to the book.
October 7, 2025
A rhyming intro to what addition is with numerous examples.
The examples in this book tend to the goofy and silly, like how many babysitters it takes to keep 3 kids in line. The illustrations are very vibrant and indicate lots of movement, and the font is kind of all over the place, so I wouldn’t use this with kids with ADHD or visual acuity issues. However, it does explain addition well and the rhyme is very well done. So just know the audience.
The examples in this book tend to the goofy and silly, like how many babysitters it takes to keep 3 kids in line. The illustrations are very vibrant and indicate lots of movement, and the font is kind of all over the place, so I wouldn’t use this with kids with ADHD or visual acuity issues. However, it does explain addition well and the rhyme is very well done. So just know the audience.
November 28, 2017
Genre: Informational
Grade Level: 1
I liked this book a lot. It presents addition in an engaging way for young readers. The pictures are fun and colorful and even the way the words are written are engaging. I think this could help students understand addition in a way that they can relate to. It was simple, cute, and unique. Overall I would recommend it.
Grade Level: 1
I liked this book a lot. It presents addition in an engaging way for young readers. The pictures are fun and colorful and even the way the words are written are engaging. I think this could help students understand addition in a way that they can relate to. It was simple, cute, and unique. Overall I would recommend it.
November 24, 2020
This book is a great way to introduce addition to children in a classroom setting. Grade levels that I personally think that this would fit best for would be kindergarten through third grade. When reading this book, I thought that the illustration and the choice of wording was really well thought out. Overall, this book is a great choice to connect math and literacy.
October 22, 2022
10/21/2022 ~ A rhyming picture book (with diabolical cat characters) intended to teach the reader about addition. Key concepts (i.e. the meaning of "equals," that adding makes things larger, etc.) are introduced through the actions of various characters. The story problems are humorous and the text is effective at introducing concepts.
August 28, 2017
Loved the pictures but I think it will be hard for youngsters to use this book to begin to grasp basic concepts of counting, its too busy. It introduces double digit and stacks of numbers to count - up to four numbers.
June 24, 2021
If you are looking for a math book to introduce the concept of addition, I'm not sure they get much better than this one. The rhymes were clever, the illustrations fun and the learning was subtle enough to trick even the most reluctant of kids into understanding the concepts.
Read
October 30, 2020Cute book using rhyming schemes to incorporate math and ELA. I love that you could use this book to talk about addition and poetry.
April 2, 2022
This book was ok. It was cute enough but I don't know, it didn't hold the kids attention like I thought that it would. I did enjoy the illustrations that went along with the book.
October 9, 2020
Read this aloud to my third grade students! What a fun book and an excellent use of math vocabulary for young learners!
December 9, 2015
Summarize the book:
The Mission of Addition is about these little creatures, some of them look like cats, that tell you what addition is and what it is all about. In the book you go from adding school buses, to birthday candles, and finally to the pieces of a marching band, with the numbers getting bigger each time. It is told in a fun way, and is part of a series that includes fractions, subtraction, and scales and weights.
Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre:
It uses rhyme to get its message across, and uses different situations to explain the same thing. The items that the creatures count are all real world items that the student would be able to see in their everyday lives, so they can easily make the connections between what they see in the book and the real world. The book very clearly states what addition is, and repeats it in multiple parts and ways.
Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom:
One specific concept, and the most obvious one, is that this book could be used in a classroom to introduce addition to the students. With the repetition and real world applications this book would capture the students interest in addition.
Provide any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated:
This book is listed as PreK-3. While there are some larger additions mentioned near the end of the book, it mainly has one digit addition equations as examples. The Mission of Addition could also be used as a rhyming example in a poetry unit, or if the assignment was to put content in a different way this book could be used as an example.
The Mission of Addition is about these little creatures, some of them look like cats, that tell you what addition is and what it is all about. In the book you go from adding school buses, to birthday candles, and finally to the pieces of a marching band, with the numbers getting bigger each time. It is told in a fun way, and is part of a series that includes fractions, subtraction, and scales and weights.
Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre:
It uses rhyme to get its message across, and uses different situations to explain the same thing. The items that the creatures count are all real world items that the student would be able to see in their everyday lives, so they can easily make the connections between what they see in the book and the real world. The book very clearly states what addition is, and repeats it in multiple parts and ways.
Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom:
One specific concept, and the most obvious one, is that this book could be used in a classroom to introduce addition to the students. With the repetition and real world applications this book would capture the students interest in addition.
Provide any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated:
This book is listed as PreK-3. While there are some larger additions mentioned near the end of the book, it mainly has one digit addition equations as examples. The Mission of Addition could also be used as a rhyming example in a poetry unit, or if the assignment was to put content in a different way this book could be used as an example.
November 28, 2015
The Mission of Addition is a book that has addition on every page. The book uses colors as well as objects to help illustrate the addition problem it is solving on each page. Also, in the book they sneak little sayings to help understand addition. The illustrations in this book encourage kids to count in order to solve their math problems by using the pictures of groups of objects and adding them together. The little phrases they use give simple facts about addition to help the reader develop an interest in addition. I think this book would be great for someone that doesn’t like math very much and needs to practice their addition. A great projection to do after reading this book is to challenge kids to make a poster or book using addition problems and different ways to solve them using pictures and counting to appeal to all different kinds of learners.
March 13, 2012
Part of series by: Brian P. Cleary.
The book begins with the definition of addition as combining two or more numbers to come up with their total. Addition problems deal with student activities at school, such as 6 yellow buses parked in a line. 3 pulled behind them and then there were 9. It provides the reader with an interpretation of the word problem to allow the reader to physically count 6 buses plus the other 3 buses parked behind them for a total count of buses parked to be 9. It reiterates throughout the book that in addition no amounts get smaller; instead the amount of items grows.
The book begins with the definition of addition as combining two or more numbers to come up with their total. Addition problems deal with student activities at school, such as 6 yellow buses parked in a line. 3 pulled behind them and then there were 9. It provides the reader with an interpretation of the word problem to allow the reader to physically count 6 buses plus the other 3 buses parked behind them for a total count of buses parked to be 9. It reiterates throughout the book that in addition no amounts get smaller; instead the amount of items grows.
October 6, 2013
The Mission Of Addition
By Brian P. Cleary
Illustrations By Brian Gable
Grade Levels: 1-2
DRA/Lexile Measure/GLE: n/a
Reviewed By Aaron Carter
If you're doing a lesson plan or unit covering addition, this book is a perfect choice for a read aloud. After a brief explanation of terms addition and equals (also totals and makes), the book delves into numerous scenarios in which the former concept is applied, all while incorporating rhyme--the basis of phonological awareness. The illustrations nicely complement the scenarios, and are sure to grab the children's attention. It's a unique, entertaining and effective method of mathematics, and is sure to be used in my classroom.
By Brian P. Cleary
Illustrations By Brian Gable
Grade Levels: 1-2
DRA/Lexile Measure/GLE: n/a
Reviewed By Aaron Carter
If you're doing a lesson plan or unit covering addition, this book is a perfect choice for a read aloud. After a brief explanation of terms addition and equals (also totals and makes), the book delves into numerous scenarios in which the former concept is applied, all while incorporating rhyme--the basis of phonological awareness. The illustrations nicely complement the scenarios, and are sure to grab the children's attention. It's a unique, entertaining and effective method of mathematics, and is sure to be used in my classroom.
Read
October 9, 20095) Title: The Mission of Addition
Bibliographic Reference: Cleary, B. (2007). The mission of addition. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook Press
Illustrator: Brian Gable
Summary: This is a book that helps students learn about addition. It has simple sayings that are clever and rhyming to help the students catch on to the rules and ways of addition. I would use this book when teaching my students about addition.
February 26, 2010
We have enjoyed a few of the books by this author/illustrator team. The rhyming narrative, funny cartoon illustrations and practical way of discussing addition makes this book an educational book in disguise. It's fun to read, keeps children engaged, and teaches them something too. What more can a parent ask for? Our girls had a lot of fun counting the items in this story and we enjoyed practicing our addition. Much more fun than homework!
June 23, 2011
Although i liked the way in which this book explained the math facts in a fun and engaging way, i didn't like the fact that they did not say that equal means the same as. Instead they said totals or makes. I still see the value of using this book when talking about math facts, however i would also say it's the same as when reading the book to my students. I could use this book during small group work, specially to reinforce math facts for those students that struggle the most.
April 9, 2013
I discovered this book in my 1st grade placement and used this to review math concepts with rhyming, fun illustrations, and examples. I used this in an addition small group activity to practice addition word problems on their white boards. This was a fun interactive way to get students excited about addition. This book gave the definition of addition and relatable word problems for the students. I like how it reiterates that the item always grows in the word problems.
Read
April 8, 2014The Mission of Addition is a story that explores how adding works. The story explores different scenarios where adding must take place.
This story is a rhyming story that teaches what it means to add. Children can create their own word problems similar to the ones in the story. By creating word problems about the story, children will increase their written knowledge and understanding of word problems.
This story is a rhyming story that teaches what it means to add. Children can create their own word problems similar to the ones in the story. By creating word problems about the story, children will increase their written knowledge and understanding of word problems.
March 18, 2015
I did not really like this book too much for a number of different reasons. I found it to be very confusing to me a college student who has taken numerous college level math classes so I can only imagine how confusing it would be to a young child. I think all the different numbers were confusing because there was no logical pattern. I think this book would better if it tried to explain addition in a chronological sequence instead of a bunch of random numbers.
April 19, 2012
This is a really good addition book which could be used for kindergarten through second grade. It has a very simple definition of addition and provides clarification of word problems. I think it would be fun to provide students with manipulatives that they may use while reading the book to solve the problems presented.
April 21, 2010
This book is a great way to introduce writing addition problems to kindergarten students. The book explains what addition is and when you need it. Students can explore by making up their own problems.
November 27, 2011
I like that this book uses math key terms such as "totals" "makes"; it's a great book to use when introducing math word problems. During small group, the teacher can read this book and have students write the addition sentences while using a white board.
March 20, 2012
-wonderful book explaining what addition is
-introduces new vocabulary such as "plus and equal"
-very colorful pictures
-items added in the story are easily relatable to the children
-each page has rhyming words as well, which makes it more fun to read
-introduces new vocabulary such as "plus and equal"
-very colorful pictures
-items added in the story are easily relatable to the children
-each page has rhyming words as well, which makes it more fun to read
April 19, 2012
Who this book would be for: 2-5
Activity: Addition; Have students use manipulatives to do the addition problems as you read
Reflection:
This book has very cute illustrations and great math vocabulary. I enjoy how this books use real life examples.
Activity: Addition; Have students use manipulatives to do the addition problems as you read
Reflection:
This book has very cute illustrations and great math vocabulary. I enjoy how this books use real life examples.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews