MathStart S. Series

Pepper's Journal: A Kitten's First Year

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 January 2000

After 7 days Pepper opens his eyes. After 2 months Pepper can leave his mother and come home with Lisa and Joey. After 3 months he needs a checkup at the vet's. In her journal Lisa writes down all the important events of Pepper's first year - and readers will learn all about days, weeks, months, and years as they find out just how much fun a new kitten can be. Together, Stuart J. Murphy and Marsha Winborn introduce the concept of calendar time and show all the fun and important things to do in a kitten's first year.

Give Me Half!

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 27 March 1996

How do you share a pizza? You split it in half! Two siblings split a yummy lunch and discover that using fractions can be messy. This hilarious book written by Stuart J. Murphy and illustrated by G. Brian Karas introduces the simplest of fractions: 1/2. This is a Level 2 MathStart book, which is perfect for kids ages 6 and up. The MathStart series uses funny stories and colorful art to show kids that they use math every day, even outside of the classroom! Each book features an activity guide to have fun with the math concepts presented in the story. Supports the Common Core Learning Standards

Seaweed Soup

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 21 August 2001

It's slimy. It's smelly. Its green and it's gooey. It's seaweed soup -- and its Turtle's favorite lunch! Turtle has made enough seaweed soup for everyone. But it looks awful and smells worse! Nobody wants to even taste it. How can they tell Turtle without hurting his feelings? As Turtle serves lunch to his reluctant guests, young readers can learn about matching sets (also called one-to-one correspondence) by keeping track of all the different bowls, cups, spoons, and napkins on the table. Lighthearted art and a surprise ending make this a story readers will eat up.

The Best Bug Parade

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 May 1996

A variety of different bugs compare their relative sizes while going on parade.

Dave's Down-to-Earth Rock Shop

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 January 2000

Josh is the best collector on the block. And now he has something new to collect - rocks! Soon Josh and his best friend, Amy, have so many rocks they need to organize their collection. But how? Young collectors will be fascinated by all there is to know about rocks and about classifying - sorting and organizing objects by attributes like color, shape, or size. Grab your rock hammer and join the fun with this entertaining story by Stuart J. Murphy and lively art by Cat Bowman Smith.

Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom!

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 January 2000

The yellow cars beep! The red cars vroom! As Molly plays with her big brother's toy cars, readers will see and recognize patterns, an essential first step in learning to reason from the specific to the general. But can Molly put the cars back in the right order before her brother returns?

Shark Swimathon

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 15 November 2000

Shark Swimathon The Ocean City Sharks have to swim 75 laps by the end of the week, and every day they figure out how many laps are left to go. Swimming and subtraction are all part of the fun!

Spunky Monkeys on Parade

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 September 1999

Monkeys ride in 2s, tumble by 3s, and march in 4s -- and readers can count them up as the parade goes by!

Game Time!

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 22 August 2000

Game Time! Keep an eye on the clock as the Huskies and the Falcons gear up for their championship soccer match. Weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds--it's all game time!

Let's Fly a Kite

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 22 August 2000

Let's Fly a Kite When Bob and Hannah split something, the two pieces had better be symmetrical--exactly the same. BUt to fly their kite, they'll have to learn something new--cooperation!

Monster Musical Chairs

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 22 August 2000

Monster Musical Chairs Every time the music stops, one more monster is OUT! Kids won't be able to sit still for this musical introduction to subtraction at its simplest.

Probably Pistachio

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 15 November 2000

Nothing goes right for Jack all day long. He can't find his favorite sneakers, he spills milk on his math homework, and worst of all, he gets tuna fish for lunch. Will things ever get better? Readers will learn how to tell when something is certain, more likely, less likely, or impossible as Jack keeps hoping his streak of bad luck will break. Maybe, just maybe, pistachio ice cream for dessert will do the trick. But will it happen? Considering how Jack's day has been going, PROBABLY NOT!

Lemonade for Sale

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 January 1998

The Elm Street Kids' Club decides to sell lemonade to earn money to fix up their clubhouse and they use a graph to keep track of their sales.

A Fair Bear Share

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 December 1997

Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie. If the bear cubs gather enough nuts, seeds and blueberries, Mama Bear has agreed to make her special, lip-smacking-good pie. Each time they fill their baskets, the cubs count berries, seeds and nuts by putting them in groups of tens and ones to see if they have enough for pie. Everyday activities such as sharing a meal, sorting socks and getting ready for school can be part of learning math. In the MathStart Series, everyday life is the basis for each entertaining story. Simple math concepts are embedded in each story so that young children can intuitively understand them. Adults can use the creative suggestions for activities in the back of each book to extend learning opportunities with children. Developmentally appropriate and correlated to school grade levels and the curriculum standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, MathStart can give children a head start!Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie is the best-but do these bear cubs have enough ingredients to bake one? Regrouping their berries, nuts, and seeds by tens and ones reveals that one cub has not done her fair bear share.
John Speirs's irresistible bear cubs make this lesson in regrouping one children will enjoy. Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie is the best-but do these bear cubs have enough ingredients to bake one? Regrouping their berries, nuts, and seeds by tens and ones reveals that one cub has not done her fair bear share. John Speirs's irresistible bear cubs make this lesson in regrouping one children will enjoy.

Divide and Ride

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 3 January 1997

Scream down the Dare-Devil Coaster and whirl around in the Twin Spin cars! Join in the carnival fun as 11 friends divide up to fit on the 2-to-a-seat roller coaster and the 4-to-a-cup teacups ride. Making new friends and practicing predivision skills have never been so exciting!

Rabbit's Pajama Party

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 25 August 1999

A group of animal friends have fun at a pajama party while demonstrating activities that happen in a particular order or sequence.

Elevator Magic

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 16 August 1997

When the elevator goes down, the subtraction starts and so does the magic. Ben sees crazy things everytime the door opens. Ride along as he subtracts his way down to the lobby, and decide for yourself if it's elevator magic.

Just Enough Carrots

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 September 1997

Elephants, rabbits, and birds shop in this funny grocery store. Can you guess what the little rabbit wants more of? Munchy, crunchy carrots, of course! And fewer of? Squirmy worms and chewy peanuts (yuck!). So why is his mother buying all those cans of worms?

Betcha!

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 1 January 1997

What do cars, toys, people, and jelly beans have in common? They can all be estimated. Two friends try out their estimating skills and find out that estimating can have real rewards--especially when there's a contest to enter!

The Greatest Gymnast of All

by Stuart J. Murphy

Published 20 February 2000

The Mathstart series introduces basic maths concepts through entertaining stories and visually stimulating illustrations.

An entertaining story from the innovative Mathstart series. Young children will be enthralled by Zoe, a talented young gymnast, as she zips and zooms around the gym. The simple language used to describe Zoe’s movements on and off the mats, or over and under the bar, provides the perfect opportunity for exploring opposites.