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Mathematickles!
An unusual and energetic anthology of poems captures such mathematical concepts as addition, subtraction, and division as a girl and her cat walk through the seasons.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2003
About the author
Betsy Franco
151 books41 followersBetsy Franco is an accomplished and versatile author whose body of work spans over 80 published titles, including fiction, young adult novels, picture books, and poetry collections. Known for her creative, collage-like approach to storytelling, Franco has also written a screenplay for each of her novels, with Naked optioned for film and The Art of Love currently in post-production.
Franco has a strong background in film and theater, having served as the screenwriting mentor for Metamorphosis, Junior Year, a film adaptation of her novel and play. The project was a family collaboration involving her sons James and Tom Franco, and it was well received at major festivals including Cinequest and Mill Valley, earning recognition as a top ten film by the San Jose Mercury News.
Her creative partnerships with her sons continue across various mediums: she appeared in James Franco’s film The Broken Tower and on General Hospital, while Tom Franco has illustrated her books and co-produced films with her. She also works closely with her son Dave Franco, who assists with her writing projects and participated in the audiobook of Metamorphosis, Junior Year alongside James.
Franco has a strong background in film and theater, having served as the screenwriting mentor for Metamorphosis, Junior Year, a film adaptation of her novel and play. The project was a family collaboration involving her sons James and Tom Franco, and it was well received at major festivals including Cinequest and Mill Valley, earning recognition as a top ten film by the San Jose Mercury News.
Her creative partnerships with her sons continue across various mediums: she appeared in James Franco’s film The Broken Tower and on General Hospital, while Tom Franco has illustrated her books and co-produced films with her. She also works closely with her son Dave Franco, who assists with her writing projects and participated in the audiobook of Metamorphosis, Junior Year alongside James.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
November 21, 2009
Recommended for grades 2-6
From Booklist
As the jacket states, "words + math + seasons = Mathematickles!" This book offers brief poems using forms suggested by mathematical processes, all within a seasonal framework changing from fall to winter to spring to summer. Some of the cleverest examples are too visual to relate effectively in text alone, but a few equations will give a taste of Franco's offerings: "maple leaves + puddle = crimson ships"; "holes + nuts - nuts = squirrel hide & seek"; and "feet - shoes + grass = barefoot." Two, three, or four of these poems appear on each double-page spread, accompanied by Salerno's jaunty, watercolor-and-gouache artwork. Although some of the spreads seem too busy, others look fresh and energetic. A girl, often accompanied by her cat, brings continuity to the scenes of the countryside going through colorful seasonal changes. Though the inspiration for these poetic bits may be mathematical, they don't always display the logic that is fundamental to math. Ultimately, they will appeal most to lovers of wordplay. Using this colorful book as a springboard, language arts teachers can challenge their students to write their own mathematickles. Carolyn Phelan
I found myself liking some of the poetry in this book, and then scratching my head at others. This book integrates math and poetry in a clever way, but I would not suggest this poem to a child younger than 8 years old. I thought this book may be actually more appropriate for use in a math classroom to explain math concepts, however the pictures do not adequately express the math equation that has been written.
This is a book that would be good for someone who thinks mathematically.
From Booklist
As the jacket states, "words + math + seasons = Mathematickles!" This book offers brief poems using forms suggested by mathematical processes, all within a seasonal framework changing from fall to winter to spring to summer. Some of the cleverest examples are too visual to relate effectively in text alone, but a few equations will give a taste of Franco's offerings: "maple leaves + puddle = crimson ships"; "holes + nuts - nuts = squirrel hide & seek"; and "feet - shoes + grass = barefoot." Two, three, or four of these poems appear on each double-page spread, accompanied by Salerno's jaunty, watercolor-and-gouache artwork. Although some of the spreads seem too busy, others look fresh and energetic. A girl, often accompanied by her cat, brings continuity to the scenes of the countryside going through colorful seasonal changes. Though the inspiration for these poetic bits may be mathematical, they don't always display the logic that is fundamental to math. Ultimately, they will appeal most to lovers of wordplay. Using this colorful book as a springboard, language arts teachers can challenge their students to write their own mathematickles. Carolyn Phelan
I found myself liking some of the poetry in this book, and then scratching my head at others. This book integrates math and poetry in a clever way, but I would not suggest this poem to a child younger than 8 years old. I thought this book may be actually more appropriate for use in a math classroom to explain math concepts, however the pictures do not adequately express the math equation that has been written.
This is a book that would be good for someone who thinks mathematically.
March 13, 2013
Mathematickles! by Betsy Fanco and Steven Salerno combines mathematic lingo and seasonal references into one book of silly poetry. The illustrations are bright and colorful, drawing in young readers. After reading the first few pages with addition poetry such as "holes + nuts - nuts = squirrel hide and seek", I thought that my first graders would love reading this book. But I quickly realized that most of the mathematic operations and lingo would cause the poetry to go well above their heads. The book included mathematical topics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and graphing. I do think that this book would be great for upper elementary students more familiar with the math behind the poems. Without that background knowledge, the cutesy jokes about the seasons would be missed.
As an adult reader, I really enjoyed reading the collection of poems and figuring out the math/poetry puzzles. I thought it was really creative to combine the two in a way that neither makes sense without understanding the other.
I could see this book being used to show the originality of poetry for students upper elementary and later.
As an adult reader, I really enjoyed reading the collection of poems and figuring out the math/poetry puzzles. I thought it was really creative to combine the two in a way that neither makes sense without understanding the other.
I could see this book being used to show the originality of poetry for students upper elementary and later.
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October 6, 2024Title and Author: Mathematickles by Betsy Franco
This book is about a little girl and her cat going through all four seasons using math problems to describe what they are seeing. This book does a good job representing what it is like to create word problems and how to apply them to real life situations. The book goes through different parts of nature and starts off with addition and subtraction. “ Crisp air+ shadows tall + cats thick coat= signs of fall” this is the first addition problem shown in the book, it gives good insight using colorful and engaging illustrations to show kids that math doesn't always have to be complicated, and filled with numbers its about getting to an answer, an overall total.
Analysis: This book is about how a girl follows her cat on a journey walking through all the different seasons, and they find different math problems throughout nature. This book does a good job showing students that they can find math all around them. It uses additions, subtraction, multiplication, and division math word problems that can be found through real life. Franco uses mathematical words throughout the book to show how word problems can be found all around students. Seasonal references along with the use of different animals throughout the book help students become engaged with the idea of math. To support student learning it gives multiple different ways to write out and describe addition, subtraction , multiplication and division. It shows students that it doesn't always have to be about using one method or one
This book is about a little girl and her cat going through all four seasons using math problems to describe what they are seeing. This book does a good job representing what it is like to create word problems and how to apply them to real life situations. The book goes through different parts of nature and starts off with addition and subtraction. “ Crisp air+ shadows tall + cats thick coat= signs of fall” this is the first addition problem shown in the book, it gives good insight using colorful and engaging illustrations to show kids that math doesn't always have to be complicated, and filled with numbers its about getting to an answer, an overall total.
Analysis: This book is about how a girl follows her cat on a journey walking through all the different seasons, and they find different math problems throughout nature. This book does a good job showing students that they can find math all around them. It uses additions, subtraction, multiplication, and division math word problems that can be found through real life. Franco uses mathematical words throughout the book to show how word problems can be found all around students. Seasonal references along with the use of different animals throughout the book help students become engaged with the idea of math. To support student learning it gives multiple different ways to write out and describe addition, subtraction , multiplication and division. It shows students that it doesn't always have to be about using one method or one
September 19, 2024
I thought that "Mathematickles!" was an awesome poetry book for any classroom, but more specifically an elementary math classroom. This book is filled with a bunch of math equations that involve words that deal with the different seasons, and are transformed into a poem form. The illustartions are also amazing, and going very well with the math poetry that is being showcased throughout the book. There are examples of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, while also showing different types of charts and graphs. I plan on being a math teacher, so this book was very fun and interesting to me. I believe that this book could be used as a fun book for students to explore in an elementary math classroom. A lot of the equations that are used as poetry might be difficult for students to understand right away, but it would be great for them to dive into and try to break them down on their own first.
February 16, 2018
This is one of the most adorable, simply perfect, illustrated math children's book I have ever come across. It just tickled me pink to read it and I was often giggling and pointing at perfect little graphs.
What is the graph of a butterfly moving? A pouncing cat?
It was about the changing of the seasons, and about playing outdoors.
There should be more like it :)
What is the graph of a butterfly moving? A pouncing cat?
It was about the changing of the seasons, and about playing outdoors.
There should be more like it :)
December 4, 2016
This would be a good book for talking about the seasons and what changes during the seasons. It incorporates some really cool math that you may have to explain to the children you are reading it to.
May 9, 2017
Math, Equations
March 27, 2018
This book was so clever! The pages were full of illustrations and math, it was fun to look through. An awesome mix of both math and poetry!
November 28, 2018
Mathematical poems tickle / from the seasonal pickle jar.
January 26, 2020
This is a collection of math equations in words. They make the reader think and puzzle and smile. Fun illustrations.
June 2, 2021
Great book to teach students how to add and subtract with large visuals. Simple design with great color and fun images.
December 19, 2023
Love! Love! Love! this book! The poems are fun and the Steven Salerno illustrations are delightful. This is a book I might want to buy!
June 6, 2021
As suggested in Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers
March 1, 2018
I chose this book because the formatting of it looked interesting and it looked different then most books I had read. When I first started to read it I thought it was really cool how the words were put into math problems. I also really liked how it incorporated the math with the seasons and it made math fun to learn in the book. I would recommend this book to a teacher who is trying to help her students learn how to set up simple equations.
May 6, 2015
Personal reaction:
I liked how this book incorporates not only math, but also seasons and literary elements. The author did a great job of providing descriptive words to describe the seasons in the illustrations. I also like how the book used vocabulary to better explain addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, graphs, and fractions. I also liked how the illustrations are whimsical and eye-catching for the reader. The author and illustrator worked well together to create the pages about shapes. For example, one page is about spheres and there is an illustration of a snowman made up of three spheres.
Read aloud:
This would be a fun book to read aloud during a math unit about the different math signs. The teacher should also use this book to illustrate that math is used in the real world and it is important to understand these concepts.
Independent read
This would be a good book for students to read alone as well. They could then go through the book at their own pace and figure out the “equations” and their meanings.
Literary elements
o Descriptive words
o Apostrophe use
o Onomatopoeia
I liked how this book incorporates not only math, but also seasons and literary elements. The author did a great job of providing descriptive words to describe the seasons in the illustrations. I also like how the book used vocabulary to better explain addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, graphs, and fractions. I also liked how the illustrations are whimsical and eye-catching for the reader. The author and illustrator worked well together to create the pages about shapes. For example, one page is about spheres and there is an illustration of a snowman made up of three spheres.
Read aloud:
This would be a fun book to read aloud during a math unit about the different math signs. The teacher should also use this book to illustrate that math is used in the real world and it is important to understand these concepts.
Independent read
This would be a good book for students to read alone as well. They could then go through the book at their own pace and figure out the “equations” and their meanings.
Literary elements
o Descriptive words
o Apostrophe use
o Onomatopoeia
April 20, 2012
This colorful poetry collection explores and celebrates the four seasons with short poems that use mathematical symbols, formats, and ideas. These visually stimulating poems are arranged by season, starting with fall and ending with summer. Salerno’s playful illustrations use broad brush strokes and swaths of color to create backgrounds that compliment, rather than overpower the poems. Although plot-less, the illustrations feature a young girl and her cat that experience the season along with the reader and serve to bring the separate poems together.
This delightful and creative collection of poems is an exercise in brevity and innovation. The emphasis is on choosing the perfect words and mathematical symbols to create equations and graphs. In many ways Franco poems can be viewed as mathematical rebuses, so share these poems visually as well as aurally. In addition to mathematics, Franco varies the font size to convey meaning in her bite-sized poems.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
This delightful and creative collection of poems is an exercise in brevity and innovation. The emphasis is on choosing the perfect words and mathematical symbols to create equations and graphs. In many ways Franco poems can be viewed as mathematical rebuses, so share these poems visually as well as aurally. In addition to mathematics, Franco varies the font size to convey meaning in her bite-sized poems.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
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April 29, 2016This is a picture book that uses poetic imagery to describe the four seasons as though they were mathematical combinations of colors, shapes, and natural descriptions. The format is very simple with only a few words on each page, but some of the words and the way the equations are set up are at a level that might be beyond what a picture book aged child could understand on their own. This might be a better book for an adult to read to children, rather than expecting the child to manage it on their own.
I liked the book and thought it was very creative. But the word level and the pictures don’t add up to the math level that the audience of children would typically have learned. For instance, one page says “2/3 frog = tadpole” and shows a picture of a tadpole. The problem is that, by the time a student has learned multiplication and fractions, they would typically be beyond picture book age. I just feel that this book is a bit confused about its target student and the student’s abilities.
I liked the book and thought it was very creative. But the word level and the pictures don’t add up to the math level that the audience of children would typically have learned. For instance, one page says “2/3 frog = tadpole” and shows a picture of a tadpole. The problem is that, by the time a student has learned multiplication and fractions, they would typically be beyond picture book age. I just feel that this book is a bit confused about its target student and the student’s abilities.
February 24, 2015
Personal reaction - I loved this poetry book. The style of it is just so neat with integrating simple mathematical processes with words to create unique poems. I love how poetry can be used in almost any situation.
Purposes:
Curriculum:
Read aloud for middle level elementary students.
-Reviewing math concepts while integrating poetry that all students should get a taste of on a regular basis.
-Practicing poetry using another way to look at words and numbers and math.
-Looking at free verse poetry.
-Introduction to Season unit as well. Each problem corresponds to a season of the year.
Enrichment/Enjoyment:
-Colorful pictures to correspond with the math poetry "equations."
-Students can create their own poems while practicing math equations to change-up the pace and give them something different to look at than just numbers. For example: snow + sun = puddle
Purposes:
Curriculum:
Read aloud for middle level elementary students.
-Reviewing math concepts while integrating poetry that all students should get a taste of on a regular basis.
-Practicing poetry using another way to look at words and numbers and math.
-Looking at free verse poetry.
-Introduction to Season unit as well. Each problem corresponds to a season of the year.
Enrichment/Enjoyment:
-Colorful pictures to correspond with the math poetry "equations."
-Students can create their own poems while practicing math equations to change-up the pace and give them something different to look at than just numbers. For example: snow + sun = puddle
June 9, 2011
This was cute!
I think I read this book on a teaching blog somewhere. It is a picture book filled with little math poems. For example... pumpkin - seeds + face = jack-o'-lantern. Is that not extremely cute??
The illustrations are VERY vibrant and they complement the poems very well.
I can definitely see myself using this book in school. I think it would be a good thing to do on days when you need a little pick-me-up. Maybe the day before Christmas break or something like that. I can pick this up from the bib and the students and I can make some cute math poetry!
I think I read this book on a teaching blog somewhere. It is a picture book filled with little math poems. For example... pumpkin - seeds + face = jack-o'-lantern. Is that not extremely cute??
The illustrations are VERY vibrant and they complement the poems very well.
I can definitely see myself using this book in school. I think it would be a good thing to do on days when you need a little pick-me-up. Maybe the day before Christmas break or something like that. I can pick this up from the bib and the students and I can make some cute math poetry!
February 19, 2010
This book shows the mathematics that are involved in every season of the year.
This book would be awesome in a grade 3-5 math classroom. Some of the pages have blanks where you must try and guess what would be the correct answer. It would be wonderful book to start out the school year and refresh on some basic skills. There is also ample opporunity for engagement and participation from members of your class.
This book would be awesome in a grade 3-5 math classroom. Some of the pages have blanks where you must try and guess what would be the correct answer. It would be wonderful book to start out the school year and refresh on some basic skills. There is also ample opporunity for engagement and participation from members of your class.
September 21, 2016
Mathematickles is a book of poems written in different forms of mathematical equations. I thought this book was very clever because it was able to combine the subjects of math, seasons, and poetry all in one book. I loved the illustrations they were bright and cheerful. I think this book would be better suited for older students because some of the mathematical equations and poems are a little difficult to understand.
August 9, 2009
This one was interesting. The "poems" (I use that loosely) are in the form of equations that take you through a year of seasons/experiences. Some are quite good and it begins very well. Then it starts to get more complicated and long and less fun to read. Maybe I'm just as impatient as my 3 yr old, though...
September 13, 2010
This is a really fun concept for a book - using math concepts to explain and illustrate the changing of the seasons in a poetic way. Our girls and I really enjoyed reading this one aloud together and while there were a few equations that were harder to explain, most were a lot of fun to work out together.
June 11, 2013
This is a fun book for students whose math skills are solid. It can make you think about basic concepts such as addition in a new way, as well as focusing on the excitement of word choice and the iconic images of the seasons. However, I'm note sure about using it with younger students, whose ideas of mathematical operations might get confused by this novel slant.
November 28, 2015
This is a very fun non-fiction picture book that is suitable for K-2. This book goes through the changing of nature during the fall, and it uses simply math concepts throughout. This book has themes of math and nature. I would give this book 5 stars because of its very creative take on math concepts for young children.
May 18, 2010
This would be a great book to use as an enrichment activity. It has riddles that use word and math as the author goes through the seasons. For instance, "squirrels + _________ = winter storage." What an intriguing concept!
August 2, 2011
I don't know that I'd necessarily call these poems, they're more like math rhebuses (rhebusi?). They're pretty good if you used them to tie into a math lesson or unit reflection, but they're not all that amazing on their own.
Read
September 1, 2011Great math book. I could use this book for an intro to graphing, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. Can Also use this book to show how a writer can use numbers and graphs to tell a story.
April 12, 2012
This is a book of poems.It could be used to teach writing styles to students and/or math concepts. However, I would use this book to teach students how to write about math. This would be a good way to introduce writing in math and show students how you can write using math vocabulary.
October 5, 2012
PB 44. I really wanted to love this book, but I only kind of liked it. I think there is a chance that I would use it in my classroom to bring together poetry and math in a way that is easy for kids to understand, but I really liked a lot of other books better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews