Toads and Tessellations (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781580893541)

Enzo is the son of a great magician, however unlike his father, his spells create chaos instead of order. What really interests Enzo, more than books about magic, are books by and about the lives of famous physicists and astronomers like Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler. Enzo dreams not of becoming a magician, but a mathematician instead. When Tessel, the village shoemaker, is called upon to make twelve identical shoes out of only one piece of leather, Aida, the shoemaker's sister, goes to Enzo's father for some magic to help her brother. With Enzo's father out of town at a magic convention, it's up to Enzo to help Aida and Tessel out of their predicament. A spell snafu leads Enzo and Aida to a method of forming patterns without gaps or overlaps, and they discover that math, not magic, may be the answer to their problem. Sharon Morisette's accessible text introduces readers to the concept of tessellations, while Philomena O'Neill's illustrations offer a clear visual to what tiling is--children will enjoy finding the tessellations hidden throughout the images. Back matter includes a glossary and notes about tessellations, Galileo, and Kepler.

Author: Sharon Morrisette
ISBN-10: 1580893546
ISBN-13: 9781580893541
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Language: English
Published: 07/01/2012
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 9.60h x 8.70w x 0.40d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.4
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 151623 / Toads and Tessellations: A Math Adventure


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2012
Publishers Weekly 07/23/2012 pg. 55
School Library Journal 08/01/2012 pg. 82
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2013 pg. 38 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw