*Big Book of Math by Katherine Hannon

The Big Book of Math is a timeline book absolutely filled with mathematical figures, faces, and facts, all situated within the context of a biblical worldview.

*Big Book of Math by Katherine Hannon. Master Books, 2024. 21 pages.

• Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12
• Recommended For: Ages 10 and up

Did you know that Eugene Wigner’s theorem “described symmetry in quantum mechanics” in 1931? Yep, me neither. Frankly, I had never heard of Wigner before opening the Big Book of Math. Wigner also made the startling claim, “the enormous usefulness of mathematics in the natural sciences is something bordering on the mysterious and … there is no rational explanation for it.”

What follows after this quotation in the Big Book of Math is what separates this giant compendium of math facts, figures, and faces from others of its kind:

As the quote above [Wigner’s] indicates, from a naturalistic worldview, we can’t even explain why math works! The Bible, though, gives us a rational explanation. Starting from the Bible, we’d expect God’s creation and our minds to be orderly.

~p. 17

STEM kids (those science and math-y types!) are often the same kids who love to pore over encyclopedic works full of data, graphs, images, and dates; the DK Eyewitness books are a good example of these books. The Big Book of Math is a little bit like a DK book on steroids. It’s actually one long timeline, but the folded pages can be “read” much like a book if you do not have room to open it all the way out. Each page is absolutely filled with information.

The Big Book of Math is More than Math

As you might expect, the Big Book of Math contains much mathematical material. But that’s not all. The Golden Ratio is demonstrated atop Titian’s Madonna and Child. Famous astronomers like Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, and Gallileo are included in a little breakout section. The Caesar shift cipher gets a mention. Across the middle of the pages runs a timeline that situates mathematical and scientific discoveries alongside other contemporary events (such as Homer’s Iliad or the Protestant Reformation), helping students keep the bigger picture in mind. In short, this timeline offers up the language of the universe, in a way math-loving kids will enjoy. It’s a reference book, but I’m willing to bet some readers will enjoy it as much as they’d enjoy the standard novel.

Bottom Line: This is more overtly educational than most resources we review, but the Big Book of Math will delight math- and science-loving young readers as well as provide them with a biblical framework for the mystery and delight of math.

*indicates a starred review.

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Book Review: The Fourteen Fibs of Gregory K is a fun math-y middle grades novel.
• Resource: Marvelous Math for Middle Grades, a book list full of more books about math!
• Resource: Niche Nonfiction for Teens (the first three are all math-related titles)

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