About the Author

Eleanor May is the author of many books for Kane Press, including several titles in the Mouse Math and Math Matters series. She lives with her family in eastern Pennsylvania. Cary Pillo grew up on a farm near the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Surrounded by animals, she began drawing at an early age. Cary received her fine arts degree from Washington State University and has been an illustrator for some fifteen years. She is the illustrator of several children's books. She lives in Seattle with her husband and son, and their dog Rocket.

Reviews

Primary-grade math concepts come into play when a club must decide the best way to sell their charity popcorn. The Community Champions are a varied cast of kids--an unobtrusive mix of genders, races, and one who uses a wheel-chair--who do good works around town. Occasionally Driscoll drifts into the too angelic: "The Champs were quiet as they read the messages" of thanks from previous year's Thanksgiving project. Other times she speaks what's better left unsaid: "The more popcorn we sell, the more families we help!" Lizzie burbles. But for the most part, the kids are trying to maximize sales through the deployment of business math--this book is part of the Math Matters series, each of which targets a specific math concept--including distribution and averaging, with terms such as median, mean, value, mode, and range set aside as boxed items for further explanations. The kids even learn how to compete with the grocery store to find the best price margin. In the end, the artwork (mostly depictions of swarms of kids having a good time) and the text feel right: their teacher is proud of their spirit, and the kids get a warm feeling from doing something selfless and meaningful. Three other Math Matters titles publish simultaneously: A Fishy Mystery, by Lisa Harkrader and illustrated by Cary Pillo, introduces Venn Diagrams; Let's Go, Snow!, by Eleanor May and also illustrated by Pillo, looks at temperature measurement; and Otto and the New Girl, by Nan Walker and illustrated by Amy Wummer, explores symmetry.-- "Journal" (2/15/2017 12:00:00 AM)