Treasure Map ANNOTATION
An old map leads the members of the Elm Street Kids' Club to a buried time capsule.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Matthew has found a treasure map, and soon the Elm Street Kids' Club is off on a quest. The map guides them into a wonderful, magical world, but it's the real-life math skills of understanding distance, scale, direction, and symbols that will help Matthew, Sheri, Meg, Danny, and Jed — with some assistance from Petey the parrot — find a treasure hidden fifty years ago.
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 - Deborah Zink
Designed to introduce and reinforce mapping skills, this elementary adventure takes a group of youngsters, the Elm Street Kids Club, through their local park to track down a buried treasure. The escapade begins when one member discovers an old map and the search is on as the gang learns to discern the map symbols and follow the clues. A series of oversized clowns appears in several pictures, peeking back at the young explorers or perhaps just a step ahead, but their role in the story is never clear. Spades flying, the adventures discover a time capsule left behind by club members some fifty years ago. Part of the concept series "MathStart," the book offers suggestions for further building map skills, such as creating maps of familiar places. 2004, HarperCollinsPublishers, and Ages 6 to 8.
Kirkus Reviews
"Mapping" is the focus of this Level 3 title in Stuart's popular MathStart series. The Elm Street Kids' Club finds an old map leading to a buried time capsule; full-bleed illustrations appear throughout as the children follow the map's clues. Leave it to Tusa, though, to add to the story as the presence of a giant (legs sticking out from under the map; disappearing into a door in the hill; face peering over the landscape) suggests something else is up. The clues, however, don't require much mathematical thinking at all. "Walk 125 steps" is about as math-oriented as they get, though they do double the number later. Although sections of the map are occasionally enlarged, readers really can't follow along even to test their skills of turning left or right or noting where the symbols lie without going back to the second page. As a stand-alone story, this one is weak, made appealing by Tusa's fancy. A few mapping activities are included in the back that prove the most useful aspect of this questionable purchase. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7+)
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