What's not to like about this guide to estimation and rounding numbers? Cartoon kids and dinosaurs walk readers through estimation and rounding exercises, offering written explanations, math problems with solutions incorporating number lines, charts and graphs, and humorous scenarios that provide visual reinforcement (T-Rex ate about 460 cookies. Now he weighs about 4,200 pounds). The content is aimed at students grades three and up, and provides a sufficient range of examples so that readers should walk away with a pretty good understanding of these two math concepts. The small percentage of students who aren't all that enthusiastic about this volume may find the picture-book format and goofy illustrations a little juvenile. Be that as it may, most kids who are struggling with math will welcome help, so why not provide assistance that is straightforward, accessible, and fun? Never condescending, this friendly guide should be a worthwhile addition to school and public library shelves.

In Adler and Miller's latest math-tastic collaboration, they discuss the concepts of estimating and rounding and the subtle-seeming difference between them. The book is a bit wordy, but readers will stick with the invitingly tidy illustrations showing smiley kids and dinos navigating situations in which estimating and/or rounding save the day--how else to determine how much pizza to order?

Estimating and rounding: two great, everyday mathematical tools. We round and estimate all the time; they're right up there with adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Adler brings a no-nonsense approach to the subjects, sometimes a little too much so, letting the narrative go flat at the expense of tinder-dry precision. "For most purposes, that's a perfectly acceptable answer. But it's not an exact answer." Even the inclusion of the contractions doesn't lighten those sentences. And there is also a measure of disconnect between Miller's artwork, with its Candyland playfulness and large population of dinosaurs, and the audience, some of who will be nigh approaching junior high school. On the other hand, he has a good gender and racial mix among the humans, who participate via speech bubbles. Adler's text overcomes its occasional drab presentation by stressing the utter usefulness and pleasure of rounding and estimating. They allow us to have a sense whether or not we are in the ballpark numberwise, and they can be just plain fun in gaining an idea of how numbers relate to the real world, both for amusement and to grasp time and space: estimate the steps to a friend's house and how long that will take. There are a few arid patches and some illustration-audience mismatch, but the value—and enjoyment—of rounding and estimating courses through it. (Picture book. 6-10)