3x4

by Ivan Brunetti

Annemarie and her clever classmates have to draw sets of twelve and use their imagination to come up with creative solutions. Young readers will delight in the counting game while learning the basics of multiplication. Star cartoonist Ivan Brunetti’s ingenious and fun-to-read comic turns everyone into a math whiz!

Genres: Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Mathematics, Childrens, School, Art, Comics

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2018

About the author

Known for his dark humor and simple, yet effective drawing style. Brunetti's best known work is his autobiographical comic series Schizo. Four issues have appeared between 1994 and 2006. Schizo #4 won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Comic of the Year in 2006.


He has also done numerous covers of The New Yorker.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivan Brunetti seems to have a darkly profane sense of humor inappropriate for young children, but here I am proved wrong. (Well, he holds off on that side of him here, I guess). This book is an example of “arts integration,” wherein art and mathematics join hands. On its most basic level it is an introduction to multiplication where a math teacher requires students to draw 12 things in sets. The kids do many variations, and invite more variations. The author of Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice, which emerged out of his Cartooning class, Brunetti does versions of this exercise with his college students. And I find this is second book for kids, so will check out Wordplay! I like this book 3 stars worth but bump it because Brunetti’s own cartooning is—not surprisingly--exemplary and fun, and I would like to promote more integration of arts and mat/science. For early elementary level kids.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice multiplication book for young children - art is retrotastic!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This clever picture book mixes art and math. A teacher assigns the class to draw twelve things but in sets. The class asks what the sets could be and the book quickly reviews the different ways of multiplying to get to twelve. It is done in a way that is friendly and part of the story. The children all go home and look for sets to draw. Annemarie struggles to figure out what to draw. It could be different cars, but there are too many types. Other children quickly figure theirs out: sports items, shapes, fruit, dogs, houses, monsters, trees and more. Annemarie is inspired by her own house full of musical instruments. When the pictures are revealed at school, each child has done a unique interpretation of the assignment and readers have learned far more about sets and multiplication than they will realize.

Brunetti is an art teacher who assigns this type of challenge to his college students but in a much more complicated way. This simple version makes for an interesting read, offering all sorts of ways to meet the challenge. Each child takes inspiration from their own family and home, making it very personal. Brunetti includes diverse children throughout the story with his round-headed toy-like people filling the page.

Add this one to your collection for a math win. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel provides a simple but interesting introduction to multiplication. When their math teacher assigns homework that requires his students to draw 12 things in sets, at first they are baffled as to how to go about doing so. After quite a bit of reassurance that they can accomplish the task in many different ways, the youngsters head home and come up with many variations for their response to the assignment. Annemarie's is particularly creative. Teachers might find this book helpful in introducing this particular math concept to their students as well as encouraging them to think outside of the box and not worry about how others are responding to an assignment.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for the Mock Caldecott Awards. What a cute little book. I had no idea what the title implied and was surprised. What a great way to introduce a youngster to the concept of multiplying or understanding about sets. Drawn in a manner similar to cartoon panels with rather a simplistic, colorful style. It even made me wonder what I would have drawn if this had been my school assignment.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I had to take away a star, because as a teacher this book would have been perfect for grades K-3... if only it was bigger! This book is a horizontal version of the other Toon books. The kids are just hanging up their spider art/multiplication in the hallways. This book would have been perfect! Alas, too small for a whole class lesson. Best 1-1.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classroom of students have an assignment to draw 12, but in sets. They can do 4 sets of 3, 3 sets of 4, 2 sets of 6, or whatever they want.

They each have a unique perspective on the assignment, although some have an easier time coming up with an idea than others.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun way to teach kids about multiplication. Love the diverse characters and approaches to mathematical thinking.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes you wish teachers celebrated the twelfth day of school instead of the 100th.

It gets a little busy and confusing in the middle, so although it resolves by the end, it is not perfect for showing how 12 is the ideal number to play with how addition and multiplication are related. Which 12 is!

I like the silly art style where every person has a perfect circle for a head, and bodies made of neatly-geometric shapes. The colors show people of different skin tones, and there is an implied diversity in family structure as well.

[Comics Alternative · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://comicsalternative.com/young-re...

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative math fun!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids must draw 12 things, but in sets, for a homework assignment. Some kids have an easier time deciding what to draw than others.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate math, but I loved this book. What a fantastic introduction to the concept of multiplication! Now I'm going to need one for division, one for fractions...Keep 'em coming!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visually interesting, good math content, a few chuckles, but a little dry. Recommended for ages 5-7.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful beginner comic shows a class assignment and all of the different ways students combine art and math to create something great.

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very unusual -- a simple comic book for young readers. The storyline is a homework assignment for each student to draw 12 things in a set of their choosing. So each student has to come up with an item and how to show it in a set of 12. I think my favorite was the one showing the life story of a tree -- 4 seed, 4 seedlings, + 4 grown trees = set of 12.

Not much action going on other than thinking and drawing...however, it does introduce the concept of 12 and can lead to a discussion of sorting. The cartoon drawings are colorful and simple which may inspire young artists to create their own story or at least add their ideas to this one.

Young readers may need help navigating the panels to learn how to read a graphic novel/comic.

[Stephanie Bange]

In this sequel to "Wordplay", Ivan Brunetti doesn't disappoint as he delivers another book about Annemarie and her class -- this time integrating math into the text.

From the TOON Level 1 series of easy to read comics, everything that was right and wonderful about "Wordplay" is found here: seamless integration of a lesson into the story, a diverse classroom, and a simple concept simply told. Yep. Another winner for beginning readers.

Highly recommended. For PreK-2.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, but I'm not sure it will make sense to its target audience. It's a bit dense as it relates to the subject matter. I could see this working for a 3rd or 4th grade audience, but the reading level seems geared towards 1st or 2nd graders. I don't know much about math curriculum, and I'm sure learning about sets is a part of it at that age level, but the complex applications of the concept are sure to go over a lot of readers' heads.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adorable fiction book does a great job presenting many ways to create 12. From three groups of four to one group of twelve, it covers all the possibilities in a very engaging manner. Children trying to grasp the concept of multiplication will find this one helpful, and all children will find it fun.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know a children's book was good when you finish it and think, "How come they didn't have children's books like this when I was a kid?" This is a lovely picture book about creating sets, sorting, and/or multiplication. It is so lovely I want to buy his other picture book, Wordplay.

[Cheryl Neer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book for school-age children to use with beginning multiplication and division.

[Michelle Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Math Sets

[Riegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love picture books that teach math concepts. What a great one to introduce Rename the Number as a strategy.

[El]

s+

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The students draw lots of kinds of 12s in different groupings, whether that's 3*4, 4*3, 2*6, or 6*2. The story is the different students brainstorming, making, and sharing their 12s.

[Quincy Bashore]

This is a short comic-style book that would be a great introduction to a multiplication unit. Drawings are simple and fun; students could easily create their own comic strip as a follow-up activity.

[Katey Hite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to try and understand multiplication. The kids had no idea they were doing math, just creating groups of things. I wonder what other things you could do this with?

[Robin Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute book.