Roman Numerals

Crowell Young Math Books

by David A. Adler, Byron Barton (Illustrator)

Explains the Roman numeral system, which, though very old, is still in use today.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

David Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.

Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.

Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.

As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Susan Mortimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this book, David Adler provides an excellent introduction to the use of Roman numerals. He begins with a brief exploration of the history of different written numerals, and an examination of the historical evolution of Roman numerals, including the ways in which use of these is still relevant in our contemporary lives. The cumulative lessons on usage and understanding of Roman numerals are primarily suitable for the child already familiar and comfortable with the concepts of numerical units, addition, and subtraction, though younger children can benefit from the simple introductory knowledge of different numerical systems. Through his frequently posed “ponderables,” Adler presents challenges to the reader to understand the concepts through mental and hands-on exercises in logic, mathematics, and experimentation. Barton’s simple, yet humorous, illustrations provide ample visual illustration of the concepts and exercises while helping to keep the reader engaged. (K-G6)

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I = 1
IV= 4
V= 5
IX= 9
X = 10
L= 50
C= 100
D= 500
M= 1000

You do not write more than 3 in a row of any one symbol.
Use subtraction.
Ex: 4 is IV (5-1)
40 is XL (50-10)

If you add a line on top it become thousand.
Ex: V with a line on top is 5,000
X with a bar on top is 10,000

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roman numerals explained very simply. A good classroom book.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. A more in depth look at roman numerals. I particularly like the activities involved.

[School For Wayward Children]

Good. You can actually make a "lesson" out of this. It gives directions on cutting up paper in different sizes to demonstrate how roman numerals are formed.