Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter

Sir Cumference #5

by Cindy Neuschwander, Wayne Geehan

When young Per visits her uncle Sir Cumference and his family, she learns how to play the game, Inners and Edges. After she finds a clue linking the game to the mysterious castle on the island of Immeter, she must figure out how to find the perimeter and area of a circle to unlock the island's secret. Math skills taught include finding the area and perimeter of a rectangle and a circle. Introduces an underlying concept of calculus -- using straight lines to measure curves.

Genres: Mathematics, Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Geometry, Education

34 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Cindy Neuschwander is a native Californian, born in San Diego, CA. Her father was a naval officer and later a high school teacher and her mother was a homemaker. She has one younger brother.

Cindy graduated with a BA in International Studies from Willamette University and earned an MA from Stanford University. She has taught all grades in elementary school as well as high school.


Cindy began writing books in 1994. She had used math literature with her own classes in the early 1990’s and liked the way students responded to it. She wanted to use more of these books but found there were not many available so she started writing some of her own. Her books are published by Charlesbridge, Henry Holt, and Scholastic. She usually writes one book a year.

When she is not teaching or writing, Cindy enjoys spending time with her family. She has been married to her husband, Bruce, for over 30 years. Their older son, Tim, is a medical doctor working in orthopedic research. Their younger son, Seth, is a college student training to become a firefighter. Cindy and Bruce own three dogs; two Dalmatians and a Gordon Setter. Cindy loves to travel, bike ride, and swim. She and her family are Christians who are active in their local church.

Reviews

[Cruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author: Cindy Neuschwander
Illustrator: Wayne Geehan
First published: 2006
Length: 32 pages

More complex maths than earlier books.

Defines are of rectangles, squares and circles.
Defines perimeter of a shape.
Area of a circle, perimeter

Sir Cumference:
Book 1 Sir Cumference and the First Round Table
Book 2 Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi
Book 3 Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland
Book 4 Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone
Book 5 Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter
Book 6 Sir Cumference and all the King's Tens
Book 7 Sir Cumference and the Viking's Map
Book 8 Sir Cumference and the Off-the-Charts Desserts
Book 9 Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle

(ISBN 9781570916816)

-CR-

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible bedtime story series for kids like mine with a wide-eyed love for math (yes, he's on the spectrum). So lucky to have been introduced to this so early

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the days of Camelot, people knew geometry, but they learned it in adventures instead of textbooks. Per of Ameter played a game created by the Countess Areana in which they figured the outside edges and inner pieces of shapes made with the same size squares. Their skill at this game allowed them to solve several mysteries on the Isle of Immeter through a few escapes, as the island was protected by a sea dragon. Finally Per solved all the puzzles, and the sea dragon delivered a locked from the Countess Areana giving Per ownership of the island. When the two children returned from their adventure, Sir Cumference named the measurement of the outside edge of any flat, straight sided shape perimeter, after Per, who now was the Lady of Immeter. The inside of the shapes was called Area, after the Countess Areana who designed all the puzzles they solved. And so, as you will know if you have read this book, this is a cute, abbreviated account of the true way geometry really evolved.
A handy chart on the last page explains in mathematical terms the formulas described in this delightful children's book.

[Jennifer Weiss]

Sir Conference and his fellow family and kingdom go on another math adventure. This time to lean about perimeter. In this book, not only does it give an example of what perimeter is from the very beginning of the book, mentioning the square game at the beginning (the teacher gets the inside, the student gets the outside, which is the perimeter) Then, in Per's dream, she needs to solve several mysteries that involve perimeter or circumference. There are hands on activity ideas included in the story as well, so the teacher can instruct students through the activity as they read the book. Not only does this book teach students math concepts, but it is also engaging and interesting and full of adventure. The illustrations are bright and vivid, which will create a connection for the student to use when they need help. Since the math concept is taught in an abstract fashion, the student is more likely to remember the concept and how to solve it since there is a detailed story incorporated.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids (almost 7 yo ds & 4.5 yo dd) absolutely love this series with Sir Cumference. (I like it too) We have read the series twice in less than the past 24 hrs!! ds rated the series as a whole 9 stars out of 5 which says alot as he usually gives everything 3.

Who knew that geometry was so much fun!! Fun & easy learning about area & perimeter (inners & edges in this cute book. What's not to love with a sea serpent, a mysterious message, with clever participants with names like Per of Immeter, Geo & Sym of Metry, Lady Di of Ameter and Radius. After reading, both kids fully understood area & perimeter, etc. and ds was especially interested in how you can measure a circle by turning it into a rectangle which was new for him. I was surprised how much my 4 yo understood and her grasping of multiplication (sets of) and surprised for her depth of math understanding. I now realize I have 2 math lovers...which is really not *that* surprising.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this one we learn by using an orange, that one could half each orange slice and lay the sides together "heads to tails" to create a rectangle. When you do, this illustrates that half of the slices equal the length of the rectangle. In other words, the length of the rectangle is equal to half a circle's circumference. And the width of each slice equals the width of the rectangle. So, the radius of a circle is the same as the width of its corresponding rectangle. So, all of this is to say that the inside area of a circle (orange) could be figured out by multiplying one half of its circumference by its radius, or A = (1/2C) X r. So far, this is the most complicated one we've read. The illustrations help.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We discovered these books about Sir Cumference on the "Tumblebooks" online audiobook site (http://tumblebooks.com), which is available for free as one of the online resources from our local library. Our girls really enjoyed watching them read aloud.

Although I think the math concepts regarding geometry are a little more difficult to understand for children in grades K-2, I think it was a valuable way to introduce the concepts. Because the story itself is fun, it makes the educational focus of the book less apparent and more appealing.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

From cover:
Who can solve this circular mystery?
Young Per loves to play games. When she visits her uncle Sir Cumference and her aunt Lady Di of Amerter, they teach her a new game. But the game has a hidden message that points to a mysterious island.
Per and her cousin Radius set sail for the Isle of Immeter. Can the cousins unlock the secret of Immeter before the fearsome sea serpent finds them?

Another math adventure with Sir Cumference and his family with this nicely illustrated story about area and perimeter. End of the book has helpful endnotes about the math in the book.

[Jayetta Carter-mcfarlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book for a read-aloud experience with students in grades 3 - 5. The book is engaging, and young learners will enjoy the mysterious adventure in the book as Per solves perimeters and areas of more complex figures that are key-shaped during his adventure. In addition, the concept of circles and finding the area and perimeter of circles are introduced in this book. This book is great for expanding young learners' math vocabulary, too.

[Nigina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today i read this this and its so interesting. This book is about math. In this book young boy and girl have to find a key and they have to unlocked the door and they will win. They think they can't do that but they do. They try their best and they find the key. They went to their house and they tell the story which how did they found the key and how they win. Their parent so proud with them and they so happy of that.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked all the thinking here about area and perimeter and how they can vary differently, but there are also some lines about how to count them easily.

I also liked the inclusion of the orange peel method for determining area of the circle and how the characters then used that. It's historically accurate but not very traditional now to think about circle area the way that it's phrased here.

The word play is silly and forced, but that's normal for a Sir Cumference book.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this installment of the Sir Cumference tales, Radius and his cousin Per head off to the Isle of Immeter to explore and review some basic measurement concepts all the while pursued by a sea monster. The book covers area and perimeter of rectangular shapes and derivation of the area of a circle. Good stuff.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about the parts of a circle and how to find perimeter and area. Broken down into pieces that could be used for students to solve with out the formula and then using the formula.

6th Grade Common Core Standards:
Geometry
6.G.1

*Available at Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Libraries*

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love Sir Cumference and his world. This book tells about Sir Cumference's niece, Per, who is captivated by the secret of the Isle of Immeter and how they solve the mystery using math.

This series is never dull and the wordplay on mathematical terms all set in King Arthur's time is entertaining. My children love these books and request them again and again.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the picture book, "Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter", written by Cindy Neuschwander multiple cools things happen. The author deigns the book so that when Per and Immeter (the charchters) figure out area and perimeter they can name perimeter, perimeter because there names combined make that name. Also it is very good for math teachers since it teaches formula's in a fun, unusual way.

[Lita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute math story that uses elements from the stories of King Arthur to teach students about geometry. This book's focus is on area and perimeter. There is also a lot of multiplying going on in this book.

[Arasani]

sir-cumfrence is a book where it shows you how to measure angles and how to count the pieces in them. It also shows you that there is an island banned from the owner (areana) there is also the owner of another island and his name is sir-cumfrence.

[Ame · Rating 5 out of 5]

It just goes to show that figuring out the circumference and the radius will grant you your very own castle. Who knew?!

This book is a lot of fun, what with the word play and creating a fun adventure out of counting squares.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children are too young to grasp most of the math concepts this book teaches, but we'll definitely re-read this book once they are older. Nonetheless, they still enjoyed the adventurous story and I'll read them more books in the series. Very cute with the math-related names.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

area, perimeter. estimating area of circle by cutting it into sections.

[Rose]

516 Neu

[Reader2007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much a math adventure--with an emphasis on math. Would be really good if trying to teach kids concepts.

[RobesonBoys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the whole "Sir Cumference" series -- great math concepts/vocab wrapped up in fun stories.

[Michelle :)]

I loved the way these stories are told. They are a fun way to learn math and also tell it in another way that I have never thought before :)

[Vandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

realtion between cirlce and rectangle....derivation of 2 pi r formulaa...

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

teachers resource about meter mesurement

[Tiffanni Dean]

Can be used to discuss counting as well as terms in geometry.

[Megan Skyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great book for vocabulary with a built in activity for the class. You could also talk about fractions and relationships between different shapes.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is an adventure that teaches about finding the area of circles and other objects as well as the perimeter (but not the circumference; see dragon of pi for that one).

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books!