Seaweed Soup (MathStart) » (1 ED)

Stuart J. Murphy is a visual learning specialist. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he has a strong background in design and art direction. He also has extensive experience in the world of educational publishing. Drawing on all these talents, Stuart J. Murphy brings a unique perspective to the MathStart series. In MathStart books, pictures do more than tell stories; they teach math.

Stuart J. Murphy and his wife, Nancy, live in Boston.

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.

Children's Literature

Young students learn about matching sets in Seaweed Soup. This is an important concept for counting¾understanding more than/less than and understanding patterns. Turtle has made a great pot of soup. Just as he is sitting down to enjoy it, his friends wander by. Turtle asks them to join him in a lunch of seaweed soup. The soup smells terrible, but the friends, one by one, reluctantly agree to join him. As each friend sits down at the table, Turtle runs off to get another bowl, spoon, napkin and cup. While Turtle is off looking for a final set of utensils for himself, his friends try his soup and really love it. Unfortunately for Turtle, they eat it all. But Turtle has a surprise for them. A Level 1 book from the "Math Starts" series. 2001, HarperCollins, $15.95. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewer:Kristin Harris