IT'S A FIREFLY NIGHT
Author: Dianne Ochiltree
Illustrator: Betsy E. Snyder
Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Blue Apple Books (USA) First published in: 2013 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? No Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
"One, two, three, four, five. My jar's like a light bulb that's just come alive." The lilting verses in this concept book chronicle a girl's capture and release of ten fireflies. Kid-readers will count up and down along with the song-like text. Interesting information about fireflies is included in the book's final spread, adding a touch of accessible nonfiction to this charming not-just-for-bedtime offering. |
“One, two, three, four, five. My jar's like a light bulb that's just come alive.”
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Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Dianne Ochiltree's ‘It’s a Firefly Night’ (2013) follows the story of a girl who is fascinated by fireflies that she finds in her front yard one summer night. She catches and puts them in a jar one by one, and soon releases them back out one by one. This is a perfect story to introduce the concept of counting forwards to and backwards from 10. The story is written in rhymes, so it can also be used to introduce rhymes to young children. Additionally, the last two pages of the book also contains some interesting facts about fireflies, making it a valuable resource when introducing scientific concepts, such as minibeasts and bugs to young children. In brief, this cross-curricular book is a great value for money. The illustrations by Betsy Snyder are mathematically accurate, not to mention they are simply gorgeous. Betsy’s signature ‘luminous effect’ against the night sky is quite something. All in all, we highly recommend ‘It’s a Firefly Night’ for children aged 4+ years old. If you like ‘It’s a Firefly Night’, you will also like ‘It’s a Seashell Day’ (2016), also by Dianne. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the author)
Recommended age range:
4 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Counting forwards to and backwards from 10/20
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
Dianne Ochiltree's ‘It’s a Firefly Night’ (2013) follows the story of a girl who is fascinated by fireflies that she finds in her front yard one summer night. She catches and puts them in a jar one by one, and soon releases them back out one by one. This is a perfect story to introduce the concept of counting forwards to and backwards from 10. The story is written in rhymes, so it can also be used to introduce rhymes to young children. Additionally, the last two pages of the book also contains some interesting facts about fireflies, making it a valuable resource when introducing scientific concepts, such as minibeasts and bugs to young children. In brief, this cross-curricular book is a great value for money. The illustrations by Betsy Snyder are mathematically accurate, not to mention they are simply gorgeous. Betsy’s signature ‘luminous effect’ against the night sky is quite something. All in all, we highly recommend ‘It’s a Firefly Night’ for children aged 4+ years old. If you like ‘It’s a Firefly Night’, you will also like ‘It’s a Seashell Day’ (2016), also by Dianne. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the author)
Recommended age range:
4 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Counting forwards to and backwards from 10/20
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.