Used Any Numbers Lately? Book

A follow-up to Read Anything Good Lately?, this appealing picture book takes a look at the surprising number of ways in which we use numbers every day. Presented in an A (for apartment number) to Z (for ZIP code) format, the book helps elementary school children understand that numbers aren't just for arithmetic.

Children's Literature

Except for math classes, we do not give numbers much thought, but they do play a very important role in our lives. The first page of this book asks the key question "Used any numbers lately?" Then, in an alphabetic presentation, readers learn how many ways numbers are useful—apartment numbers, floor numbers, house numbers, license plate numbers, room numbers, time, volume, weight, years, and zip codes are just a few of the examples given. Each illustration provides even more information, such as the page covering time, which shows a digital clock, wrist watch with Arabic numerals, train number, track number, and so forth at a busy train station. It is a clever and wonderful way to show how we use numbers and why we need them. The final questions show a group of kids playing and asks "What numbers have you used lately?" Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot