Archive | November 11, 2017

Taller and Shorter

That's Not My Taller and Shorter

That’s Not My Taller and Shorter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taller and Shorter

Fiona Watt

Rachel Wells

Usborne, 2017

10pp., board book., RRP $A14.99

 9781474928922

One of the trickiest maths concepts for the very young to grasp is that of conservation – that a group of three is three no matter how it is arranged or a 10cm stick is still a 10cm stick even if it’s moved or turned.  It’s a part of the maturation process but once understood then it is a natural progression to compare things and learn words like taller, shorter, smaller, larger, longer and so on.  Little books like this one are an essential part of the process of both the understanding and the development of the vocabulary.

Beginning with a little mouse floating in a life ring on the pond, it compares the height of a number of different creatures each taller than its predecessor.  With cutouts to peer through and a progression that emphasises the left-to-right nature of text, it introduces the very young to a wide variety of creatures in bright unfussy pictures culminating in a fun fold-out that introduces the tallest of all.

Little ones will have fun predicting what might be next in the chain as they share their knowledge of the world around them and comparing themselves to those things around them. Try to access What is Big? in Sounds of Numbers   by Bill Martin Jr for lots more fun and teach them words like ginormous and humongous and all those other superlatives that littlies like to use!  Make maths fun!