It is, in fact, a totally cool book about numbers. I know that it seem to be a oxymoron, but this book is all about fun numbers.
The basics are explained, where numbers come from, how counting began and different ancient cultures that used numerical systems, such as the Mayans and Romans.
It then moves on to Magic Numbers , covering squares, natures numbers Pi and mathemagical tricks.
The Shaping Up section, of course, is all about shapes, 3 or 4 sided, 3rd dimensions, mirrors, mazes and so much more.
The last part is the world of math, which covers subjects such as “freaky fractals”, Logic, and the theory of chaos, which I found fascinating and was written so that the explanations were simple enough for the age bracket to understand.
It all shapes up to be one excellent book to entice and encourage your child to notice the “fun” in numbers, and perhaps an adult or two as well!
For more information on this book and others, you can visit DK Books at http://www.dk.com, and click the flag to choose your country.
Reading level: 8 – 17 years
Page Count: 96 pages
Publisher: DK Publishing
Publisher’s synopsis: Experience the mysterious and magical world of numbers as never before. This unique book investigates mathematical marvels such as why daisies always have 34, 55, or 89 petals, why the world’s phone numbers appear in pi, and other patterns and paradoxes that will make readers look at numbers in a whole new way.
About the Author: Johnny Ball has masterminded and presented more than 20 children’s television series about maths and science
Johnny Ball is best known for the hit BBC series Think of a Number, in which his unique blend of zany humour, boundless enthusiasm and expert knowledge turned maths and science into pure entertainment and totally transformed maths for a generation of children.
A former Butlins redcoat and comedian, Johnny presented Playschool for 17 years and has earned an EMMY nomination, a BAFTA, and 10 other awards. Johnny is also a fellow of the Mathematical Association and has written five children’s books as well as the hit educational musical “Tales and Maths and Legends”.