Review: Multiply on the Fly

Written by Suzanne Slade

Illustrated by Erin E. Hunter

   Multiply on the Fly is so much more than a picture book.  The story follows different insects through natural settings and incorporates multiplication facts with each insect serving as an example:  5 grasshoppers with 2 wings each = how many wings in all?  Kids will see multiplication as a concrete activity as they count their way through the book.  For kids who have not mastered the multiplication tables, the fun rhymes and beautiful illustrations will entice them, and for kids who understand the concept, this book will expand on their knowledge with its generous database of hands-on activities.  The book includes several pages at the end with resources and activities for learning more about insects and math facts:  from insect body parts and life cycles to insect math table activities.  There is so much to learn and do here that this book will not be a one-time read. 

   The suggested age range for Multiply on the Fly is 4-8, but both older and younger kids will enjoy sitting in as this book is read aloud, as evidenced by my kids, and older kids will want to read the book on their own, spending time with the activities at the end.  My youngest tried to count all the parts of the insects before his brothers could remember the answer, and they all tried to be the first to give the correct answers.  For my nature lovers, the incorporation of insect facts in this story was right-on and made the math  seem not so "mathy."  My 5th grader commented that, "you know, math is everywhere."

   This book would be a fantastic addition to the elementary or homeschool classroom, and it would be a nice inclusion in an insect unit study.  The publisher's website also provides a free Teaching Activities download (fabulous!) for this book as well as a list of related websites and alignment to science and math state standards.  You can view a sample of Multiply on the Fly here.  The book is available in both print and ebook versions.

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}