Panda Math

Learning about Subtraction from Hua Mei and Mei Sheng

by Ann Nagda in collaboration with the San Diego Zoo

Hua Mei is a very famous bear: she was the first giant panda cub born in the United States that survived more than a few days. She was born at the San Diego Zoo, and four years later her mother had another baby, Mei Sheng.

Hua Mei and her brother, Mei Sheng, spend their days climbing on logs, lounging in trees, and eating bamboo.  A lot of things the pandas do can be thought of in terms of subtraction--from how many hours they're awake to how much they poop!

Come meet the famous panda babies, Hua Mei and Mei Sheng, and along the way you can learn about subtraction.

Publisher:  Henry Holt & Co., 2005

Reviews

"This wonderful title featuring panda cubs born in the San Diego Zoo does double duty as a math book. . . A terrific cross-curricular book."

            --School Library Journal

"Fascinating facts about baby pandas combined with a math lesson make this ideal for parents and teachers alike.  Right-hand pages tell about the births and growth of Hua Mei and Mei Sheng, panda cubs at the San Diego Zoo.  Left-hand pages zero in on one of the facts presented and turn it into a subtraction problem.  Graphs, number lines, calendars and place-value charts present the problems visually.  Nagda explains several different methods for solving subtraction problems: regrouping, subtracting each place value, thinking about doubles and adding up.  While she explains these methods well, children will need additional support.  Throughout, readers are encouraged to get to a "friendly" number (10, 100, etc.) to make the problem easier to solve--adding the same amount to both numbers keeps the difference the same. Even the least enthusiastic of math students will find something of interest, from how much the pandas eat, sleep, poop, and weigh, to how long they will live.  Adorable photos of the cubs support the text. A great text for elementary teachers and parents to share with their young mathematicians."

            --Kirkus Reviews