Tally O'Malley FROM THE PUBLISHER
The O'Malleys are off to the beach! But it's a long, hot, boring drive. What can Eric, Bridget, and Nell do to keep busy? Play tally games, of course — counting up all the gray cars or green T-shirts they see. Whoever has the most marks at the end wins the game.
Eric wins the first game. Bridget wins the second. It seems like poor Nell will never win a game! But Nell has the luck of the Irish on her side, and a surprise in store for her big brother and sister.
About the Author:
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.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Andrea Sears Andrews
On the way to their vacation spot, the O'Malley family decides to pass the time in the car more quickly by playing a game. Relying on an "old family favorite," they play the tally game where certain objects are sought after and then recorded in tallies. Each child in the family—three in all—is responsible for a particular object and must record sightings in tally marks. After a designated time, the one with the most tallies wins. The three children all covet the prize for winning a game—-the plastic shamrock necklace. The youngest of the children, Nell, does not have any luck in the first two rounds. However, she is able to pull out a victory at the end of the book and receives the beloved necklace. As part of the "MathStart" series, this book (graded a two out of three in difficulty) does a solid job reinforcing the concept of tally marks to its readers. The tally mark recordings are always shown within the illustrations so that the reader can follow their progression. Resources dealing with the same subject matter are listed in the back of the book along with extension activity ideas for parents and children. This book is a good support in a classroom introducing tally marks or focusing on the patterns of numbers. 2004, Harper Collins, Ages 5 to 9.
Kirkus Reviews
Murphy takes on the ancient and deeply gratifying concept of tallying in this Level 2 entry in his MathStart series. You can almost imagine a shepherd counting the sheep as they enter the fold for the night, but here it's the O'Malley family making a game out of tallying to help ease the hours demanded by their car trip to the beach. First they decide upon something to count, then they pick a color; tally sheets are passed out on which they make tally marks. The mood in the car instantly improves-especially for the winner, not to mention the parents (total groovesters in Jabar's zippy, flower-power artwork), enjoying the whine-free environment. The kids get both distraction and a dose of learning how to collect numerical data over time, grouping them into bundles of five (giving the fives tables a boost), which look, curiously, like sheaths of wheat that shepherd might have seen as he drove the sheep through the fields. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-8)
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