ABCs of Mathematics

Baby University

by Chris Ferrie

Fans of Chris Ferrie's ABCs of Physics , Quantum Physics for Babies , and General Relativity for Babies will love this introduction to mathematics for babies and toddlers! It only takes a small spark to ignite a child's mind. This alphabetical installment of the Baby University baby board book series is the perfect introduction to mathematics for infants and toddlers. It makes a wonderful math baby gift for even the youngest mathematician. Give the gift of learning to your little one at birthdays, baby showers, holidays, and beyond! A is for Addition B is for Base C is for Chord From addition to zero, ABCs of Mathematics is a colorfully simple introduction for babies―and grownups―to a new math concept for every letter of the alphabet. Written by an expert, each page in this mathematical primer features multiple levels of text so the book grows along with your little mathematician. If you're looking for the perfect STEAM book for teachers, calculus books for babies, or more Baby University books for your little one, look no further! ABCs of Mathematics offers fun early learning for your little mathematician!

Genres: Mathematics, Childrens, Picture Books, Science, Nonfiction, Kids, Stem

26 pages, Board Book

Published October 3, 2017

About the author

I am Chris Ferrie, father of four and happy husband. My day job is academic research where I follow my curiosity through the word of quantum physics. My passion for communicating science has led from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to more recently writing children’s books.

Reviews

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. The book claims to be for children ages birth on up but realistically, it's for 5 year olds on up. Just because it has pictures and is a board book doesn't mean it's suitable for young children. The concepts are beyond the cognitive abilities of infants and toddlers.

[Producervan · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABCs of Mathematics by Chris Ferrie. SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky. ©2017. 4 Stars. Okay, this is a book for the baby genius or Einstein baby. A simple board book with basic mathematics ideas and its use of color is intriguing but could befuddle some. It’s a jump-start book that may be a large leap for most kids. What is the rush in learning this? The first thing my kid ever wrote was a check when she was about a year old. So, maybe. (Where are the dollar signs?) The good news is that an award-winning physicist wrote this book, and for the mere value of introductory exposure to the shapes and concepts, this is a happy board book to have around. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for providing this ebook for review.

[Baby Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has lots of complex ideas that are even hard for Mommy and Daddy, but they say reading books that are hard make you smarter and some day I will understand all this stuff about math!

[Asher H.K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously dad? E is NOT for equation. #boring

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! We have a special 3-for-1 review today, taking a look at three board books from the Baby University series by Chris Ferrie: ABCs of Science, ABCs of Physics, and ABCs of Mathematics.

On each page of this set of ABC STEM books for little ones, readers are introduced to a letter and a corresponding scientific concept, element, reaction, idea, particle, etc. Each page is then broken into three levels of information: for babies, the just the letter, concept and illustration; for toddlers, a short sentence describing the subject; for older children, a two- to three-sentence paragraph that describes the idea in more detail.

These were great! It’s a clever, highly-informative and very accessible way to teach scientific and mathematical principles and concepts to little bookworms AND their caregivers. I especially liked the idea of breaking each page into three levels of informational chunks – it gives the books a lot of mileage as children grow and can comprehend more advanced ideas, and works perfectly for this kind of complex subject matter. The illustrations are a little plain, and there’s a lot of white space for this kind of book – I might have liked to see more engaging and/or colorful illustrations that could grow with kids as well as the text did. For the most part, however, this is a wonderful way to encourage little scientists, mathematicians and engineers to learn about the building blocks of STEM. Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Jj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. I liked the illustrations and the information, but this is definitely a book for OLDER readers, i.e., not baby/toddler audience, as one might presume from the ABCs theme and board book format.

I wish it were in picture book format. If it were, I think the chances for it to be read by school-age kids, who will really be able to understand and benefit from it, would be greatly increased. It would be a great text to use in a variety of ways in a curriculum and classroom. The good thing is that there are two levels of text offered in the book, the basic (in larger font above image) and extended (in smaller font below image) on each page.

In a nutshell, recommended for those who already know their ABCs and have moved on to reading, with a solid familiarity of basic math concepts and a large vocabulary (words like sequence, placeholder, fraction are all used without explanation).

[Amara · Rating 2 out of 5]

P is not for Pi.

Too complex for a board book, not for babies.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this as I love math and enjoyed the General Relativity for Babies book. Supposedly, this book can cover 3 "levels"-- babies read the simplistic part at the top that just teaches letters, toddlers read the short introduction that accompanies the letter part, and beyond toddler age they can read the whole paragraph explaining the concept.

A few problems with this. Even if babies/children learning how to read CAN read the sentence on top, I'm not sure it'd be conducive to learning since they don't know what most of these concepts mean. It's better to stick to concepts and objects they can grasp to teach reading. (For example, how would a child practice using the word "y intercept" if this isn't a word they'd ever have to use in everyday baby life??)

I think this book would be best for those in 3rd-4th grade, who can understand the basic concepts and ask questions about what they don't know. That said though, unless it's being read by parents who understand topology and linear algebra, they might have a hard time.

The concept was great but it could have been simplified a LOT more to be accessible to younger readers. However, I love the idea of introducing math concepts early!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, I was especially excited for this title (more so, perhaps because I had read and loved General Relativity for Babies). However, I just felt that this one wasn't as well written - perhaps, because it had to follow the ABC format and some of the options were really reaching. Also, as a side note, some of the illustrated examples were questionable too - why would anyone choose 4/2=2 as the example for division when 4-2 also =2? This is the most confusing example to introduce division/multiplication! As a person who knew very little about general relativity, when I read that volume I felt that I learned a lot...but I feel that someone with little to no mathematical background would be left scratching their head at some of these examples (like a matrix, null set or one-to-one I felt were not adequately explained). In conclusion, I like the idea, but anyone who doesn't already know this math would be left as confused as their little one. I wish it had stuck to the simplest ideas (addition, graphing, numbers) and not the more advanced like linear algebra and topology that got lost in translation.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While a cute book for babies to "learn" mathematical concepts, there are a few errors and odd choices that were used. For instance, 1 is NOT a prime number, however, in the definition of prime numbers in the book, it is labelled as such. For the letter "o", the word used was one-to-one. Was there no other word or mathematical concept that starts with "o" that could be used? The example for "division" was 4/2=2. But 4-2=2 as well. Surely with all the divisible numbers out there, a better choice was available as an example.

I understand these books are just fun and a great way to raise a "geek" baby, but for these things to make an impact, it needs to be accurate and accessible. My rating of 3 stars is for the concept of the book. I hope more of these are made in a myriad of different topics, but I also hope for more stringent editing and fact checking. As a member of the scicomm community, as the book currently is, it'd be hard for me to recommend this to people with babies as much as I'd like to.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My knowledge and skill in mathematics extends to basic AP Calculus in High School. Always loved Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and some of these math terms I've NEVER heard of or remember using. It's hit or miss as far as learning the core concept goes. Some of the imagery is really helpful and then some of it gets a little confusing.

Based on the ABC format it fallows, I don't feel it's quite as successful in explaining what the words mean compared to it's counterpart ABCs of Science. For a child, this would require more effort in expanding and explaining what the book is trying to teach. Unless you're a mathematician, this ABC book is quite challenging. Level 1 and Level 2 makes sense, then you get to Level 3 and you learn more but it's not quite enough in some cases.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book. By the time children get to formal STEM (science tech engineering and math) education in school, for a lot of them, the level of delight and discovery isn't what it could/should be. A baby book introducing mathematics concepts through bright engaging colors and illustrations is a wonderful idea.

Unfortunately the choices and explanations are dissatisfying in a lot of ways. Other reviewers have pointed out specifics, but there are many places where the illustrations and text aren't at all explanatory (G for Golden Ratio for example)...

Wonderful concept and the book is very appealing.

Three stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferrie, Chris ABCs of Mathematics. PICTURE BOOK. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2017. $10.

This colorful ABC math book teaches different math concepts, terms and ideas in a bright and simply illustrated fashion. It’s great that it not only is ABCs, but also adds a short definition for the term along with a visual illustration of the math concepts. I don’t know if the intended audience would be able to sit down and listen to the entire book of definitions in one sitting, but I could see it being used in a classroom as a teaching tool before working on a specific concept. It’s a great introduction to make math concepts approachable and visual!

PRE-K, EL (K-3) -ADVISABLE. Reviewer: JQ
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an adult reading this book designed for children, I actually learned a lot. I wish I knew about this book when I needed a better understanding of some math because this book explains things really well, better than some teachers I've had. It's a brilliant book.

It's specifically made for 3 age groups. It's an alphabet book that has 3 sections on each page, each for the designated age group about a math word that goes with that letter. It's informative, colorful, and great to read and learn about math.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a mathematician and high school math teacher. We loved this book. For those who struggle with math, this can be a hard book to get into, but each page has three different fonts, so I pick one to read each time we go through this book so that we don’t over do it. My 11 month-old has been digging the pictures and likes the sound of certain vocab words like “Quadrangle.” I personally would have preferred Quadrilateral, but this is fine. The only complaint I have is that the limit picture is a bit backwards. I would have made the asymptote dashed and the exponential decay solid.

[Magy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exposing little guys and gals to big ideas is Chris Ferrie's goal, and he does it again in ABCs of Mathematics.

Each letter stands for a mathematical concept from common ideas like addition to other less frequently known concepts like the torus. Fear not! Each mathematical idea comes with a simple picture, a one sentence definition, and a short explanation. Parents will learn right alongside their little ones.

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those things that remind people of the Baby Einstein trend, but actually are super awesome for math curious younger school-age kids or kids with reading disabilities. It explains in simpler words some pretty advanced theoretical mathematics. However, this might stick better if kids have already been exposed to narratives about the subject. My kids who watched Fantasia when little do remember The Dance of the Hours and The Carnival of the Animals than Baby Mozart’s Folkdances.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked a lot of this! And was also quibbling with some of the definitions and illustrations. Most of that was detailed stuff, but definitions and precision are important to a lot of approaches to/practices of mathematics, so from a disciplinary point of view it seems fair. (Lies to children are fine! That's not really the kind of thing I was arguing with here; I'd need a copy on hand to say much in more detail, though.)

[Abby Nall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice alphabet book, more for the math nerd parents (like me) than for the kids, but my 9mo daughter likes the bright illustrations and I like that it's a board book she can handle on her own. I also like that there are three levels of information so the book can grow with your child's curiosity and attention span. Personally, I would have preferred more basic concepts (M is for Matrix, when multiplication could have done just as well), but it's still a nice addition to my baby's library.

[Danielle T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accounting for these partially because I DID actually read them, and I want to mark them as read instead of an extra TBR on my other spreadsheet.

I really like the idea of these, having concepts at multiple levels. You don't need to read the smaller text to your child; they can return to it when they have a grasp of sentence structure. In the mean time, colorful shapes will inspire them to think about torques long before they come across it in college.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This alphabet picturebook has a mixture of mathematical terminology. While some words, like Addition, are words that kids will encounter early on in elementary school, other words, like Torus, might not be encountered until much, much later - in college, perhaps? Still, for kids who like math, or for parents who would like to introduce young ones to mathematical vocabulary at an early age, this book is pretty good.

[Stacey M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is bright and colorful and good way to introduce math terminology into vocabulary for young babies and children. I love the idea of using these books to just introduce the vocabulary used in different subjects. Reading this little board book I learned some great concepts too. I reveived a free copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABCs of Mathematics is GENIUS. I love how it covered STEM vocabulary, exposing children to concepts at an early age. Also, kids can grow and still use the book, as it has more detailed descriptions of the words as well. (Honestly, I could probably use this for reference when I need to do math problems. It really breaks everything down nicely!)

[Matt Brejnak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the idea of starting children off with math terms and concepts from an early age. I am a math teacher myself and you have no idea how important it is to make everyone realize that they are math people. Something that is great with this book is that it does t shy away from some more advanced definitions and examples. I will continue to read this to my son as he gets older.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books, but I know a lot of of people who will not understand them. I think this is a good sound reason for introducing them at the ABC board book age. A jump start. A large one, but one much needed in this society.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable book that explains various mathematical concepts!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

If only my math classes could have been this simple and clear.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A board book that covers some of the (basic??) concepts of math. As an adult, it was more than a refresher course; I learned new things. As a baby? Forget it.

[Jeani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this series to my 1 and 7 year olds. I'm learning, too! Great series.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five year old loves math. I don’t think we’ve seen a book anywhere that gives him as much of an opportunity to really go into the subject in a deep way. We love it.