The Great Mathemachicken: Have a Slice Day

Gr 1-3–In this series sequel, Chirpy’s fellow chicks start disagreeing over food, and they ask Chirpy to use her superpowers to solve their problem. With no idea how to do so, Chirpy escapes the other chicks and heads out on a magical adventure. Along the way, she makes a new friend, Quackers, who isn’t good at understanding synonyms. Together, they head to school, where all great learning happens! There they learn about fractions, pizza, the importance of books, and tally marks. Can they figure out a way to use their new knowledge to solve Chirpy’s problem? The characters and plot are a little simplistic, but work as an early chapter book. Krulik succeeds at keeping the math component present without overwhelming the story. The abundant wordplay, and chicken and egg puns throughout the book are amusing and help bring the plot to life. Readers will enjoy Quackers’s lack of real-world understanding. Illustrations are colorful, enjoyable, and complement the text well. Characters are primarily animals, but the depictions school children are diverse. Though it’s the second in the series, this title can be read independently.