The Long Wait

Math Matters®

by Liza Woodruff (Illustrator), Annie Cobb

paperback

Genres: Mathematics

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

I grew up in Bristol, Rhode Island. As the youngest of three in my family, I was content watching, listening, daydreaming, and drawing. My love of art took a long and meandering path on the way to children's publishing. I scooped ice cream, worked as a camp counselor, waited tables at a dude ranch, and operated a chairlift at a ski resort. At one point I even hoped to become a veterinarian! But none of these things gave me the satisfaction I longed for.

Already having earned a BA in art and French, I finished a second degree in illustration at the Art Institute of Boston (now Lesley University College of Art and Design). During that time, I began an internship at children's book review magazine The Horn Book which focused my broad interest in art onto the wonderful illustration of children's books. Upon graduation, I dove into publishing. To date, I have illustrated twenty-four books for children!
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It had long been a dream of mine to write my own stories. After many years as an illustrator, I tried my hand at writing. I have now authored three picture books: EMERSON BARKS/Christy Ottaviano Books/Holt 2016, A QUIETER STORY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House in 2019, and ONCE UPON A WINTER DAY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House in 2020 which was selected as one of Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of 2020. 2024 will see the publication of my fourth picture book, PHIL'S BIG DAY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House.

My home is in Vermont, nestled between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Nature is a big part of my life and when not working in my studio, I can be found on the lake, on the side of a mountain, or deep in the woods with my family and/or two dogs.

Reviews

[Christian Houseworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great book for teaching estimation and it is a part of the Math Matters Collection. This book is about two boys, Josh and Zack who are at an amusement park and are waiting in line to ride the Cosmic Beetle. They both agree that it is an extremely long line so they decide to estimate how many people are line, how many people can ride at a time, and how long it takes the ride to complete a cycle. This book is great for me as a teacher because it focuses on one particular math concept: estimation. It also shows students how they can use estimation in real life situations. This book also integrates mathematics and reading. On the last page of this book, it has an Estimation Chart which would be helpful to help students to summarize their knowledge of estimation. The book also provides hints for students to use such as; rounding, counting by tens, and much more. Overall, this is a very good book!!!

[Samantha Hagler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two boys wait in line for a ride at the amusement park and to make the time move quickly Josh and Zack start counting things such as the number of people in line, number of people on a ride next door, and how many minutes they'll have to wait. This is a great book to show the students how they can use their math skills in real life. This book is a great starting lesson on what estimation is and how you can use it. I can use this book to teach these different strategies used in the book and teach the difference between an "educated" estimation versus a wild guess.

[Jayetta Carter-mcfarlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will included this book in my classroom library. This book is good to use to teach young learners how to estimate. Suggested usage: Grades Pre-K - 5. Suggested learning activities are in the back of the book, too.

[Jaylin Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two friends go to an amusement part but have to wait in long lines. They decide to pass the time by estimating,then counting how many people are in front of them and on the rides.

[Kathryn Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to teach estimation. Deals with counting people in lines and the bets way to figure out how much longer the wait will be. Would be useful in math and science. Has examples on measuring rows.