Running

Accurate and concise, these well-written books do an excellent job of explaining without confusing and will serve as great introductions to the individual sports as well as adequate complements to math lessons. Concepts discussed include the dimensions of playing spaces, keeping score, and statistics. One or two math problems are posed per chapter, with the answers provided in an appendix. Each chapter contains several photographs with meaningful captions that enhance the text "“ for example, a picture of a tennis court is helpful in understanding the rules. These are appealing books for students interested in sports. There isn’t an abundance of math here, but the link to real-world applications is helpful.

Bottom Line: In general, these books will be most effective for students who have a basic understanding of the concepts and would like to reinforce their skills. For older students, “Real World Math: Sports” deserves a place alongside favorites such as the “Sir Cumference Math Adventures” series (Charlesbridge). “Count the Critters” is an excellent choice for early elementary classrooms. Though “Math Fun” will be appealing to middle elementary students, background knowledge is even more important in this series. “Let’s Measure” tries to accomplish too much. The series will confuse young readers and will not appeal to older students.