Perhaps the only picture-book story told from the point of view of a sock, this details the search for the other half of the pair. The striped sock searches laundry bag, washer, and dryer in vain, finally discovering its mate in the dog's basket. Short, snappy rhymes and Ehlert's brilliantly colored collage illustrations combine to make this tale from the MathStart series an entertaining book. Teachers and lesson-minded parents will appreciate the activities and books suggested to extend the learning about pairs, patterns, and differences. (Reviewed Oct. 1, 1996)

Tantalized by glimpses of red and blue, a single sock looking for its missing partner peeks in the dirty laundry bag, the washing machine, and the dryer, only to discover similar but not identical mates. Collages in solid primary colors emphasize each sock's distinctive print and enhance the engaging lesson on pattern recognition and matching. Follow-up activities are appended.

PreS-Gr 2-Each of these books focuses on a simple math concept: matching, time lines, or multiplication. In the first title, the rhymed narrative tells of a sock's search through the house for its mate. When the two are reunited and a torn heel mended, the pair is whole and wearable. A double-page spread allows children to match pairs of socks. In Get Up and Go, the amount of time spent by a girl in various tasks is visually represented; here, the explanation is not as clearly expressed. Told in rhyme by her dog, the story is interspersed with line graphs that display the number of minutes used for each activity. In Kangaroo, the main character hunts for a playmate and finds that everyone is busy. All of their activities are listed and then multiplied by one through four. Kangaroo soon discovers that his friends are preparing a birthday party that culminates with all of their endeavors adding up to 100. Bright hues of acrylic paint and collage are used in the cartoon illustrations. All of these titles end with helpful hints about using the books to teach additional concepts and are best used in a one-on-one setting.-Marsha McGrath, Clearwater Public Library, FL