Math Play! (Williamson Little Hands Series)
PreSchool-Grade 2?Parents and early childhood educators eager to introduce the marvelous mysteries of math will find numerous suggestions here. However, the format is curious. Stating that the book is for two-to-six year olds, the authors proceed to provide text addressed to children and a paragraph identified as "helping little hands" which is for adults. While the second-person verbiage may be an attempt to be clever, it doesn't work. Perhaps some preschoolers are ready to read "vehicle," "wildlife prowl," "droppings in the snow," and such but most are not. The bold black-and-white cartoons done in a coloring-book style beg to be colored?fine for a home copy, risky for a library. One activity, "Kitchen Fun," suggests putting three measuring cups on the floor, filling the medium sized one up with water, and then seeing if the water will fit in the smaller cup. What about the floor? A curious cautionary notice on the back of the title page states "The information contained in this book is true, complete, and accurate to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations and suggestions are made without any guarantees on the part of the authors or Williamson Publishing. The authors and publishers disclaim all liability incurred in connection with the use of this information." Is it customary to have a "use at your own risk" note in activity books? Math Play! offers quite a variety of number, shape, series, etc., activities; however, use at your own risk.?Jody McCoy, Lakehill Preparatory School, Dallas, TXCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.