This is such a good book. I bought it for my 10 yo son and he reads from it often, and then comes to me with all sorts of sophisticated tidbits about math, that I'd either forgotten or never known!
It's a very gentle way of getting to know complex mathematical theories, and its explanations are clear and succinct. Although alphabet based, this is not for small children, I would not give it to anyone younger than 9.
I'm very happy with this book and would happily recommend it. We're going to get Q is for Quark next.
July 05, 2008

I wish the alphabet had more letters!

David Schwartz is brilliant! In G is for Googol, he brings together a wealth of mathematical information for strong independent readers. A is for abacus, F is for Fibonacci, and K is for Konigsburg! If you don't know how to pronounce rhombicosidodecahedron, don't dispair! Schwartz will show you how, and his entertaining and informative book will keep inquisitive kids enthralled for hours!
May 21, 2006

A googolplex of fun

At her Montessori preschool, my daughter loved only math "work," mastering the binomial and trinomial cubes early on. At 5, as we began homeschooling, her reading level exploded and she fell in love with words. Unlike "hands-on" math, she had no interest in arithmetic or pages of problems. She's a highly gifted, visual-spatial learner who also reads rapidly and at a high level. Now, at 8, I present her with "literary math," books with mathematical concepts and lots of words and pictures. This book is one of the best examples of that genre. When I handed it to my daughter, she eagerly began flipping through the pages, then scanned the table of contents. "V is for Venn diagram!" she said happily. "I LOVE Venn diagrams!" She read everything about them and studied the amusing pictures in detail. Then she began to describe aspects of her life to us in Venn diagrams. So it has gone with the rest of this book, which I highly recommend.
September 03, 2005

Book Excites Kids

This book enthralled my fifth graders. They are fascinated with large numbers and love the name googol. This book helps get kids excited about math.
August 27, 2005

This is interesting stuff!

First off, be aware that google is the internet search site, NOT a mathematical term. A googol is, though, and it is a 1 followed by 100 zeros, which happens to be a number larger than the number of grains of sand on the earth. This book is interesting stuff!

I took a chance on ordering it because I had never heard of it before but it intrigued me. For each letter of the alphabet, a mathematical term (or two) is defined. It's fun, mathematical terms are clearly explained and some of the letters give you go-along activities.

I've been reading this aloud to my kids (ages 8 & 10) and they enjoy it. I even learned some new things, and I have a degree in mechanical engineering (which requires a lot of upper level math.) Your kids don't have to be gifted in math to enjoy this one. Some of the topics are A is for Abacus, B is for Binary (great explanation!), C is for cubit, D is for Diamond, E is for equilateral and exponent, F is for Fibonacci and G is for Googol. If you don't know what those mean, you'd better get the book!

Even if my 8 yo doesn't remember what an exponent is, she may remember them when she comes to them again and it won't be so intimidating. The more explanations the better, right? This book doesn't teach you anything you HAVE to know, just lots of interesting things that make math fun. Maybe that makes it more interesting - because you don't have to know it.

I caught my 10 yo teaching my 8 yo how to make a mobius strip and what it was. I had to say, "HEY! Have you been reading ahead without me?!" He sheepishly admitted it, but it was so interesting he just had to!

I would say this is probably good for 3rd or 4th grade and up. A younger age could understand some of the topics, but some of the math topics require a bit higher order thinking.
December 21, 2004

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Q Is for Quark: A Science Alphabet Book
by David M. Schwartz
by Kim Doner

Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales
by Theoni Pappas

On Beyond a Million: An Amazing Math Journey
by David M. Schwartz
by Paul Meisel

What's Your Angle, Pythagoras? A Math Adventure
by Julie Ellis
by Phyllis Hornung

Math Curse
by Jon Scieszka
by Lane Smith