Making Math Fun
7 years ago
An exciting section of StoryWeaver – the digital platform that Pratham Books publishes stories on, is the collection of books that revolve around different Math concepts. These stories bring together a string of endearing characters, in familiar settings, trying oh-so-hard to navigate through a problem or question that can be answered with the help of a little Math.
Math can sometimes earn the unfair title of being that tough subject, that inspires dread and confusion in little minds. Our new selection of stories are here to help win the battle against this title. These stories and illustrations have been created in such a way that they lead to an organic understanding of a certain idea or concept in Math, and light a spark of curiosity in the minds of kids, pushing them to want to know more. We have tried to use incidents common to our daily lives to make the knowledge bit of the story more relatable and fun.
It’s incredibly important to us that kids aren’t intimidated by numbers, but rather are intrigued by the beauty and simplicity that Math can offer, and the opportunities for self-awareness it can hold. And so, our collection has stories talking about how patterns aren’t just restricted to numbers and tricky questions in textbooks, but are also a tool of nature itself seen in flower petals and seashells. We want readers to learn not just more about fractions and Venn diagrams, but also more about themselves when they are reading these stories. And that is why we’ve attempted to bring in characters that will push readers to think about their interests and strengths, and also about the different values and qualities they would like to see in themselves and those around them.
An illustration by Hari Kumar Nair from ‘Fascinating Fibonaccis’
Our set of Math books have been edited by Roopa Pai, popular author of several fantasy adventure novels for younger readers. Six of the books have been art-directed by Kaveri Gopalakrishnan.
Some of our new titles include –
How Old is Muttajji by Roopa Pai and Kaveri Gopalkrishnan
Putta and Putti know that Muttajji is really, really old. But exactly HOW old is she? Join the twin detectives on an exciting mathematical journey through Muttajji’s memories and India’s history in their quest to crack the big question.
Dum Dum-a-Dum Biryani by Gayathri Tirthapura and Kabini Amin
Basha and Sainabi are in a panic. Ammi is ill, and Saira aunty has just announced that she is arriving for lunch – with 23 other people! Budding chef Basha thinks he can cook Ammi’s Dum Biryani, but her recipe only makes enough for 4 people. Math wiz Sainabi jumps in to help, declaring that she knows how to turn a 4-person recipe to a 24-person recipe. Do the siblings succeed in serving up a truly Dum Dum-a-Dum biryani? Read this book to find out!
An illustration by Kabini Amin from ‘Dum Dum-a-Dum Biriyani’
How Far is Far by Sukanya Sinha and Vishnu M Nair
If you thought your friend’s house on the other side of town was far away, you have clearly not read this book. Climb the Magic Math Ladder to get from where you are to the top of Mount Everest, to Kashmir, to the moon, the Sun, and ultimately, to the edge of the Universe, which is very, very, VERY far away indeed. Ready, steady, go!
The Fascinating Fibonaccis by Shonali Chinniah and Hari Kumar Nair
Almost a thousand years ago, an Indian scholar called Hemachandra discovered a fascinating number sequence. A century later, the same sequence caught the attention of Italian mathematician Fibonacci, who wrote about it. The Fibonacci sequence, as it began to be called, was straightforward enough – what made it fascinating was that this particular set of numbers was repeated many, many times in nature – in flowers, seashells, eggs, seeds, stars… Find out more inside this book!
I Spy! by Samvida Venkatesh and Sandhya Prabhat
A simple game of ‘I Spy’ at Sania’s birthday party turns into a hilarious misadventure when bees and cats and dogs decide to join in. Does Sania find ALL her hidden friends in the end? COUNT DOWN with the birthday girl to find out!
An illustration by Sandhya Prabhat from ‘I Spy’
More or Less? Need to Guess! by Gayathri Tirthapura and Sahitya Rani
So many mithai boxes to count, so little time! Can Ranjita and Vikram do it? Yes, using a cool math trick called ‘Approximately More-or-Less’! Read this fun wedding story to learn the trick yourself!
One by Two by Maya Bisineer and Shreya Sen
How do you share something fairly with a friend? How do you take one thing and divide it into two equal parts? Join Rani and Jiya at the fair where they use a simple trick called One-by-Two to share a delicious meal.
Same-same or Different? by Roopa Pai and Rohit Kelkar
Can you only be friends with people who are exactly like you? Is it wrong to be best friends with someone who is different? SORT OUT the answers to these questions with Snake and Sparrow in this heartwarming story about friendship.
