ALA Booklist (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2002)

Wordplay, riddles, and math problems test readers' skill at addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, telling time, logic, and even general knowledge in this colorfully illustrated collection. Clearly meant to make math more approachable and enjoyable, this compilation includes enough genuinely complex puzzles to keep hardcore young math buffs entertained, whether working the equations themselves or challenging one another. The bright, pencil-and-watercolor illustrations occasionally offer hints; otherwise, puzzle solvers are left to their own devices to decide, for example, the average age of a kindergartner. One truly puzzling riddle, for which no answer is provided, deals with how to read the answers (hold the book in front of a mirror). Children who find math difficult may be frustrated rather than amused, but the humorous tone of the rhyming text and the variety of puzzles will definitely add to the fun for those who are ready for a challenge.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2002)

Playful, slightly zany watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations offset rhymes that pose mathematical riddles about jumping on the moon, train rides, alarm clocks, and other kid-friendly subjects. Some illustrations provide clues to the answers, which are typed in mirror script below the riddles. The rhymes are of average quality and sometimes hard to decipher, but the lighthearted approach to math is just right.

Kirkus Reviews

Math story problems aren't always boring exercises about dividing up a bowl of apples or trains traveling between cities. Sometimes story problems can be rhyming, funny, and delightfully illustrated, as evidenced by this collaboration between Lewis ( A World of Wonders , p. 48, etc.) and Remkiewicz, illustrator of the popular Horrible Harry and Froggy series. The 18 math puzzles are full of amusing names and situations, such as calculating the time for a quick trip to Kalamazoo or the weight of a poodle named Poo-poo-pee-doo. Three additional selections include a novel way to multiply by nine as well as a rebus-like round of letters between a dog and a cat (regarding a K-9 T). The text is printed on blue-lined notebook paper with the answers to the puzzles cleverly printed below each problem in reverse (adding a mini-science lesson when the answers are held up to a mirror to be read). Remkiewicz provides cheery illustrations in watercolor and colored pencil, with smiling children and comical animals in double-page spreads that will work well with a group. Most of the puzzles are at the third- or fourth-grade level, but many could be solved by younger children with an adult's help. This is also an excellent choice for younger gifted children, who will enjoy the challenge of math problems with a humorous twist. (Nonfiction. 7-10)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-4-A new book by a wordplay master always adds up to fun. Arithme-Tickle brings to math puzzles and queries the same rhythmic zest Lewis's Riddle-Icious (Knopf, 1996) brought to verbal riddles. Remkiewicz's bright, energetic watercolor-and-pencil illustrations amplify the humor in each challenge (a riotous tropical scene accompanies "How Many Coconuts?"-"How many palm trees swaying in the breeze?/How many hives for the bumblebees?/How many warthogs in a quartet?/How many apes eating apes suzette?"). Answers are thoughtfully provided at the end of each poem. A book to enjoy "If you are most particular,/Curved, straight, or perpendicular/(That is, arithme-ticular!)."-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.