ALA Booklist (Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)

for reading aloud. This entry in the MathStart series takes on beginning map-reading skills. When one of the members of the Elm Street Kids Clubfinds a treasure map, all the kids join in the fun to search for the treasure. Several math-related concepts, such as problem solving and estimation, are modeled as the kids look at the 50-year-old map and, following directions such as turn left, try to make it fit a present-day landscape. The mapping concepts are not presented as effectively as they could have been (the map shows a compass rose and a legend, though these terms are never mentioned in the text), but there's a lot here for adults to build on. Tusa's watercolor-and-ink cartoon-style illustrations, while nicely done, divert from the main story line with an unexplained fantasy sideshow that may confuse some children. Companion activities and a short bibliography are included.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2000)

Determined to get a good view of the royal parade, "egg boy" Humpty Dumpty perches on top of a brick wall. But when Humpty loses his balance and topples through the roof of the king's carriage, it's up to shy King Moe to put all of Humpty's pieces together again. Collage art makes this slight tale visually interesting but doesn't make up for a forced and awkward rhyme scheme in the text.

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+)