Book Review
Multiply and Divide with Sticks and Steps
by Maureen Stearns
Our Book Review
When I read through the book I found myself wishing I had found this a few years ago when my son was at the stage of learning his multiplication and division. He was so enthusiastic to sit go through his times tables but when he became stuck and just couldn't remember seeing the disappointment in his eyes, especially with the 6x, 7x and 8x tables. The book would have been such a valuable tool for both myself and my son.
The simple, yet clever method not only covers basic multiplication in detail, it also covers what's the missing number, both short and long multiplication and division sums and progresses onto slightly more advanced areas such as square root and the least common multiple. The author has also included some lovely educational quotes throughout the book to inspire.
I found the book very easy to read and understand from the simple instructions and clear diagrams. The numerous diagrams are spread out nicely throughout the different stages of the book and you also benefit from extra examples at each stage to reiterate the problems and solutions. For a parent or teacher it is very quick to read through and digest and be able to share the knowledge with the child. For a child it makes learning, what can be a difficult subject, fun and enjoyable. What I think makes it all work is the fact that they visually and physically see the problem being solved in the steps, which makes it so much easier for them to remember.
I would definitely recommend this book to any young mathematician and of course their helper !!
The simple, yet clever method not only covers basic multiplication in detail, it also covers what's the missing number, both short and long multiplication and division sums and progresses onto slightly more advanced areas such as square root and the least common multiple. The author has also included some lovely educational quotes throughout the book to inspire.
I found the book very easy to read and understand from the simple instructions and clear diagrams. The numerous diagrams are spread out nicely throughout the different stages of the book and you also benefit from extra examples at each stage to reiterate the problems and solutions. For a parent or teacher it is very quick to read through and digest and be able to share the knowledge with the child. For a child it makes learning, what can be a difficult subject, fun and enjoyable. What I think makes it all work is the fact that they visually and physically see the problem being solved in the steps, which makes it so much easier for them to remember.
I would definitely recommend this book to any young mathematician and of course their helper !!
Our Rating
