One Riddle, One Answer (hc)
Gr 3-6-Fanciful Persian motifs and patterns set the mood for this original tale. When the sultan rejects all of the plans of his self-serving advisors to find a husband for his daughter, the princess suggests that perhaps she could pose a riddle. A smart and well-educated young woman who loves numbers most of all, Aziza creates a clever conundrum and then travels around the kingdom to find the man who can solve it. Just as she is about to give up hope of finding the perfect husband, a young farmer solves the riddle, explaining his answer to her satisfaction. While most children under third grade will not understand fully the mathematical solution of the riddle, which involves place value, fractions, and multiplication, readers of all ages will appreciate the gorgeous acrylic paintings that feature a broad palette of colors, including every imaginable shade of blue and purple. Playing with perspective and pattern, the artist and author have created a fairy-tale world in which numbers appear in the clouds, on the sides of horses, and even in the sands of the desert. It is a world in which the pursuits of the mind are as important to young princesses as they are to young princes.-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.