This Time It's Personal (Bedtime Math)

Overdeck follows Bedtime Math with another winning fusion of math and mirth, offering dozens of problems inspired by everything from the rate at which fingernails grow to the amount of water used in taking showers and baths. Once again, questions are available for readers at three levels, introducing basic mathematical operations, comparative size and length, counting by 10s, and other topics. On a spread entitled "There's No Wrong Time for Pajamas," Overdeck asks youngest participants ("Wee ones") to predict a pattern using pajama sets, while giving "Big kids" a two-step addition problem ("If you sleep in your PJs from 8:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m., then wear them to school for another 6 hours, how many hours do you get to wear them?"). Paillot's cartoons bring an abundance of energy and comedy to the pages, whether he's drawing a toilet-paper mummy or a child soaking in a bathtub full of cheese puffs. It's a smart way to get kids thinking about the ways in which math is part of their daily lives. Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Cathy Hemming, Cathy D. Hemming Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 4--With just the right balance of math and humor, Overdeck continues to present mathematical concepts in fun and easy-to-digest pieces that will simultaneously entertain and educate young readers. The book uses bodily forms and functions, clothing, personal preferences, habits, and athletic feats as jumping-off points for fun and creative math problems. (For instance, a spread titled "You've Nailed It" offers information on how fast finger and toenails grow, followed by several math questions of varying levels.) As with her previous installment, Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late (Feiwel & Friends, 2013), Overdeck does not suggest age ranges for each math problem but instead subtly labels appropriate questions for "wee ones," or preschool age kids (focusing on shapes, counting, and comparing numbers); "little kids" (examining basic addition and subtraction); and "big kids" (tackling multiplication and higher digit numbers). Expanding from the previous edition, this title now includes higher-level "bonus" questions, which require several steps to calculate the correct answer. Furthermore, the problems targeted at "wee ones" are now more engaging, as readers are asked to count items on the page, enlist the assistance of an adult to count fingers and toes, and find shapes in the illustrations. Although there is no table of contents, answers to each question can easily be found on their respective pages, and an "Equation Chart" in the back of the book explains the math involved with question. Cartoonlike illustrations add humor throughout. A worthwhile investment for both public and school libraries.--Meaghan Darling, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"Overdeck debuts with a just-irreverent-enough book . . . . She shows that she knows her audience and loves her subject. Paillot (the My Weird School series) is a great choice for collaborator . . . he does it all with a good-hearted, goofy energy that should propel readers through the pages." —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Bedtime Math

"[This program] may have the potential to make bedtime math problems as loved as the bedtime story. . . . Hats off to Laura Overdeck. This project is a winner. A simple idea that may have as much of an impact on improving the science, technology, engineering and math interest in our children as many other well-funded programs." —Wired/GeekDad

"We all know we should read to our kids. But even if bedtime stories are routine in your house, when's the last time you gave your kids a bedtime math problem? Probably never. And that's one reason American students might struggle in a future that requires mathematical literacy... Maybe if more children grew up doing bedtime math problems, those numbers would be different." —USA Today

"Besides stopping the bad-mouthing of our own math skills and making sure that we're distributing our numbers-related conversations equally among our sons and daughters, what can a parent do to increase "math awareness" in our everyday lives? How about a bedtime math problem? . . . [in Bedtime Math]They're meant to be solved in their heads, and to promote both giggles and mathematical thought." —New York Times Motherlode Blog