Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

In this sequel to Multiplying Menace, Prince Peter faces evil Rumpelstiltskin yet again. This time around, Rumpelstiltskin and his witch sidekick wield the Great Divide, a magic stick that's waved over a Frog Crystal to transform people and animals into amphibians. Geehan's illustrations are amusing, but the story and the division concepts are muddy.

School Library Journal (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

Gr 2-4 While this sequel to The Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumplestiltskin (Charlesbridge, 2006) can stand on its own, numerous references to the previous title may occasionally prove confusing. In this book, young Prince Peter notices peculiar things as he searches for his dog, Zero. Five out of 10 cows in a field have been turned into frogs, 2 out of 8 children are now also frogs, etc. Peter arrives at the palace to find his own father in a similar state. Although he fears that his old enemy, Rumpelstiltskin, is at work, his mother believes that Matilda the witch is responsible. Peter tracks her to a cave in the swamp to find that she is in league with Rumpelstiltskin, who now possesses a magic dividing stick. As the story progresses, facts about how division works are woven into the plot, as well as what happens when one divides by fractions. Children already familiar with these concepts will grasp what's going on, but those who have not yet been introduced to them will not be enlightened. Geehan's painterly illustrations, done in acrylic and pen-and-ink, are dominated by a rather murky green, but do add flashes of humor. This book may be useful for teachers wishing to introduce the math concept, but it is unlikely to attract those looking for a good story. Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

In Calvert's follow-up to her Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin (2006), Peter must work again to thwart the mathematically evil antics of the little man and his witch friend, Matilda. This time, the duo is armed with both a dividing stick and a magic Frog Crystal. When used together, a group of living things is divided, with a fractional part of them suddenly becoming frogs. As in her first outing, the author tries to educate readers as to the difference between dividing by a whole number and dividing by a fraction. While helpful reinforcement for children who already understand the concept, this will not serve as a reliable teaching tool for those who do not, although the division notes at the back are well written. The crosses between different animals and human and frogs in Geehan's humorous acrylics will certainly tickle readers' funny bones, but ultimately they do little to meet educational aims. At the end of the day, this weak story does not stand without its predecessor, and its limited audience makes this as sensible a purchase as the quotient of one over zero. (Picture book. 8-10)