I was disappointed in this book. While this book may answer many questions kids and their parents might have, as a math educator I cannot recommend it. There are too many places where common misconceptions are not dealt with properly, or are in fact reinforced or actually incorrect. It may sound picky, but this stuff matters. Because of these problems I would not be comfortable sharing the book because I don't know what else might be "not quite right".

Here are some examples i found while skimming the book:

1. On page 47, it says "If a negative number is raised to an even power, the answer will always be a positive". This is true. But the examples show: -2^4 = 16, which is not true. As a tutor I have to work with my students to make sure they understand that -2^4 = -1 *2*2*2*2 = -16 while (-2)^4 = (-2)(-2)(-2)(-2) = 16. The presence or absence of parentheses makes all the difference and this is not discussed.

2. While elsewhere the author did mention that pi is irrational, on pp 72-73 the discussion of the golden ratio does not mention it at all, and in fact says that "the golden ratio is a special number that equals 1.618." The golden ratio is another of our amazing irrational numbers, like pi, and does not equal 1.618 exactly. In exact form it is an expression that contains the square root of 5.

3. On page 120, the illustration for the stem-and-leaf plot does not show a traditional step-and-leaf format but instead has a table with one column for tens and another column for ones. This is problematic for two reasons. First, most teachers are picky about having a proper plot, which includes the stem part on the left, a single vertical line, and the leaves on the right aligned left against that line, with a key (ie 4|2 = 42). Additionally, because the author centered the numbers in the ones column she lost one of the reasons for stem and leaf plots, which is to be able to turn it on its side and have the equivalent of a dot plot so you can look at center and spread.

4. On page 131, for dividing decimals, the author makes no mention of moving over the decimal of the divisor (and therefore, also the dividend) before doing the division:
"1. Write the problem as normal. 2. Bring the decimal point straight up. 3. Divide as normal." The example is for dividing by 6.28 by 4, so the issue doesn't even come up. My students often have to be reminded of this process.

5. it is not well cross-referenced. For example, there is an illustration of the window pane method of multiplication on page 18, but no mention of the fact that it is actually explained in detail on page 193, and the illustration alone is not enough for understanding the method. If I had found this method on the multiplication page I would have had to realize I needed to check the index to see if it was explained elsewhere.

I had high hopes for this book and wish I could have written a more positive review. I hope that the next edition of this book has more mathematical rigor. ( )

What a great resource! I'm a private tutor and work kids of all ages! I love how everything is put in categories and then in alphabetical order! It's very easy to find what the student needs. I think all parents with school aged kids should get this book to always have on hand for homework help. It's awesome. I will definitely use this book with my students and recommend it to their parents. Nowadays With all the new standards, I feel math is getting so complicated to teach and reinforce. It's refreshing to have such a simple, back to basics resource! ( )

I am a teacher and I will definitely keep this resource in my classroom, I may even need to purchase a few more. I love the extras in the back after the definitions as well. I wish it had been organized with the current common core standards for this edition, but that really is a minot issue. I would suggest this too parents of kids who struggle and often forget to take their math book or notes home. ( )

The Math Dictionary for Kids isn't just for kids. It would make a great resource for teachers as well. The first half of the book is set up dictionary style with the terms alphabetically. However, they are divided into categories such as whole numbers and operations, measurement, algebraic ideas, geometry, and decimals and fractions. As a dictionary for kids, I felt that the terms should have all just been alphabetical. I'm not sure the students would know exactly which category to use to search for a term. Alternatively, they can use the index and find it that way. I love the "Learning with Manipulatives" section and could see incorporating a lot of that into lessons. The final sections with all of the tables and charts together is very helpful for quick reference. This book would make a nice addition to any math classroom. ( )

I am ashamed to admit that I learned a lot from this little book. I finally understand irrational numbers! And I consider myself highly educated, and I'm a homeschooling mom. This book is well organized, with a thorough index in the back for even easier use. It is a great addition to our homeschooling library.