Jack the Builder (MathStart 1)
PreS. Like Murphy'sBeep Beep, Vroom Vroom!(2000), this entry in the MathStart series makes arithmetic a part of imaginative play. Jack stacks 2 blocks taken from a big pile. Turn the page, and a wild, colorful double-page spread shows what his simple stack becomes with the addition of a little imagination--a robot. A third block makes a hot-dog stand in an uproarious circus, and 2 more build "a ferryboat out on the sea." Eight blocks become a lookout tower, and, using 17, Jack creates a rocket ship, which soars across two pages. Then the stack falls down, leaving "nothing but a pile of blocks . . . so Jack can start again!" As always, Murphy begins and ends with simple hands-on activities for adults to help bring the math into kids' everyday life. Rex's bright illustrations will encourage even young preschoolers to point at shapes and colors as they count and add on.Hazel RochmanCopyright &#169; American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.