CHARLIE IN FRACTION CITY
Author: Lynda Brennan
Illustrator: Robert M. Henry
Number of pages: 24
Publisher: Math4Minors (USA) First published in: 2016 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Math MileMarkers) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Charlie in Fraction City is the latest children’s story in the Math MileMarkers® book series. This cheerful story uncovers the secret to an in-depth understanding of fractions. It’s generally the parts of fractions that get all the attention, but this simple kid-friendly story seeks to set the record straight by identifying the true hero in fraction world, the whole. Math MileMarkers has created an endearing story that addresses some of the foundational skills introduced in the Number and Operations-Fractions, many of which are often misunderstood. In this adventure, a group of lively soon to be unit fractions set out to find their place as part of a whole. Charlie, a highly recognized whole club president, is there to help each fractional piece understand what it takes to be a unit fraction. In doing so, these fractional characters uncover key terms in the fraction world and learn that they really don’t know their true value until they find their place as part of a whole. All books in the Math MileMarker series come with an educational component that identifies the learning standards addressed within the story and a narrative outlining the mathematical journey children will take as their learning progresses. Each book closes with a Math MileMarkers section which contains a task or question that a child might encounter related to each standard or mathematical skill. |
“Most of the other residents of Fraction City are smaller pieces that are just itching to be a part of a whole. Charlie knows his worth and is happy to help these fractional pieces find fractional friends, friends that look just like themselves.”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Lynda Brennan’s ‘Charlie in Fraction City’ (2016) follows Charlie, a rectangular-shaped president of one of the ‘whole’ clubs in Fraction City, in his attempt to find new members to join his club. There are a few catches: those who wish to join Charlie’s club have to come in a team; team members have to be identical and they must be able to perfectly fit into the club’s shape. While there are many story-picture books in the market on fractions, ‘Charlie in Fraction City’ is one of the few that focuses specifically on explaining what unit fractions are and their properties – visually. Moreover, the story also provides opportunities for discussion on equivalent fractions. The story cleverly uses common misconceptions to show, for example, why even when different shapes can perfectly fit into a rectangle, they are still not considered as unit fractions. The book’s companion website also provides useful downloadable resources (e.g. a storyboard template, a ‘talking points’ guide for teachers and parents).
There are a few aspects of the story to consider. The pace of the storytelling on the first eight pages (i.e. a third of the story), with a focus on ‘setting the scene’, is quite slow and could have been written more concisely, while the pace of the remaining of the story is slightly too fast with a lot going on (unit fractions, denominator, numerator, etc.). We occasionally had to pause our reading to work out what is happening. Moreover, some sentences are arguably too advanced for the intended readers and have a textbook tone to them e.g. “Charlie’s whole was a finite space that could be subdivided into a multitude of different fractional variations”. Finally, due to the context of the story, it unfortunately has messages like “Charlie […] is happy to help these fractional pieces find fractional friends, friends that look just like themselves” and when a half-circle Bella was turned away by Charlie, she was told “Perhaps you wan to try Sally Circle’s club. I know she is looking for members just like you”. From a mathematical perspective, the rationale for these messages is entirely understandable. That said, young children may subconsciously (and mistakenly) learn from these messages that being different is bad.
All in all, ‘Charlie in Fraction City’ is a useful story picture book to introduce the concept of unit fractions for children aged 9+ years old. That said, the storytelling style and pace might not suit every child. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
9 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Fraction
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.
Lynda Brennan’s ‘Charlie in Fraction City’ (2016) follows Charlie, a rectangular-shaped president of one of the ‘whole’ clubs in Fraction City, in his attempt to find new members to join his club. There are a few catches: those who wish to join Charlie’s club have to come in a team; team members have to be identical and they must be able to perfectly fit into the club’s shape. While there are many story-picture books in the market on fractions, ‘Charlie in Fraction City’ is one of the few that focuses specifically on explaining what unit fractions are and their properties – visually. Moreover, the story also provides opportunities for discussion on equivalent fractions. The story cleverly uses common misconceptions to show, for example, why even when different shapes can perfectly fit into a rectangle, they are still not considered as unit fractions. The book’s companion website also provides useful downloadable resources (e.g. a storyboard template, a ‘talking points’ guide for teachers and parents).
There are a few aspects of the story to consider. The pace of the storytelling on the first eight pages (i.e. a third of the story), with a focus on ‘setting the scene’, is quite slow and could have been written more concisely, while the pace of the remaining of the story is slightly too fast with a lot going on (unit fractions, denominator, numerator, etc.). We occasionally had to pause our reading to work out what is happening. Moreover, some sentences are arguably too advanced for the intended readers and have a textbook tone to them e.g. “Charlie’s whole was a finite space that could be subdivided into a multitude of different fractional variations”. Finally, due to the context of the story, it unfortunately has messages like “Charlie […] is happy to help these fractional pieces find fractional friends, friends that look just like themselves” and when a half-circle Bella was turned away by Charlie, she was told “Perhaps you wan to try Sally Circle’s club. I know she is looking for members just like you”. From a mathematical perspective, the rationale for these messages is entirely understandable. That said, young children may subconsciously (and mistakenly) learn from these messages that being different is bad.
All in all, ‘Charlie in Fraction City’ is a useful story picture book to introduce the concept of unit fractions for children aged 9+ years old. That said, the storytelling style and pace might not suit every child. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
9 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
Fraction
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.