Fun with Math: Sir Cumference Speaks Volumes, The Pigpen Problem, and Our World: By the Numbers

Sir Cumference returns, Goat and Sheep solve a math problem, and Steve Jenkins crunches the numbers.

Sir Cumference Speaks Volumes follows our hero through another math adventure in the midst of a raging blizzard.

Sir Cumference Speaks Volumes by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Wayne Geehan. Charlesbridge, 31 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 5-10

“Snow siege is comin’, Sir!” warns a young man on Sir Cumference’s fiefdom. The boy knows the weather signs, and also knows how to prepare. As a conscientious landlord, Dir Cumference is eager to learn how young Volomo and his grandfather calculate how much grain they’ll need for the siege. Also how to store it: in wooden crates measured by the sole of his grandfather’s shoe (could that be one foot?). Stacked in layers eight boxes long and five boxes wide, the four layers yield a total volume of 160 boxes. “’Twas a good harvest.” Now it’s up to Sir Cumference and Lady Di to calculate and store enough grain for the entire village to take refuge in the castle compound before the weather strikes. Will they succeed?

This latest volume (get it?) in the popular series literally brings another math skill to the table, as knight and vassals enjoy a feast at its end. Colorful oil-paint illustrations add warmth to the Christmassy tone, and at the story’s conclusion readers will learn how to calculate the volume of a pyramid and a cylinder as well.

Bottom Line: A familiar character in a medieval setting makes math skills relatable and fun.

In The Pigpen Problem, Farmer Ed poses a challenge to his barnyard friends.

The Pigpen Problem: How to Calculate Area and Perimeter by Bill Wise, illustrated by Davilyn Lynch. Claris, 2024, 34 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 5-8

Farmer Ed has left a chore for his most industrious barnyard habitues (Goat, Sheep, and Chicken). He needs a pigpen, and he needs it today, or else no barn dance. “But I already ordered special togas for everyone!” protests Goat. No matter; the cows are at the spa and the horses are notoriously stubborn about doing projects. Only these three can be relied upon to get the job done. Farmer Ed has left the specific amount of fencing needed—no more, no less. But how to begin? It looks like a job for some math.

The Pigpen Problem follows The Clock Problem in the author’s Hilariously Simple Math series, teaching number skills through comic-book panels. The three would-be carpenters work out the maximum area for the amount of fencing they’re allowed, as simple diagrams follow their reasoning. The job will be completed, the barn dance is on, and if readers aren’t inspired to start their own fencing project, they will at least have learned how.

Bottom Line: An easy, humorous guide to learning a practical skill.

Our World by the Numbers looks at planet Earth (and her place in the solar system) through charts, graphs, and timelines.

Our World: By the Numbers: A Book of Infographics by Steve Jenkins. Clarion, 2024, 160 pages

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: Ages 10-16

Steve Jenkins, who died three years ago, was known for his detailed and beautifully illustrated books about animals, not numbers, but size comparisons often played a part. By the Numbers is all about comparisons: distance of the planets to the sun, deadliest animals, life spans from mayflies to bowhead whales (200 years, if you want to know), birth and death rates continent by continent, and much, much more. The abundance of information is displayed in info-graphics, a variety of graphic designs melded with illustrations.  Number-crunchers will pore over these pages, with fresh insights at every reading.

The author’s old-earth perspective implies an evolutionary bias, but there’s not much tub-thumping about evolution. Christian parents may want to comment on the “History of the Earth” chapter with its 4 ½-billion-year timeline and speculation on how life on Earth developed from a single living cell. Also how birds evolved from dinosaurs in a later chapter. Otherwise, it’s a world of fascination about deepest and highest, extreme temperatures, natural disasters, and the ordinary functions and quantities of a “24-hour body.”

Bottom Line: A delight for number-crunchers, with something interesting for everyone.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Steve Jenkins’ The Animal Book is a must for animal-lovers. And here’s more Sir Cumference.
• Resource: Marvelous Math for Middle Graders book list.          

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