The Story of Numbers and Counting (Signs of the Times) - Hardcover

Grade 3-6. These "Eyewitness" look-alikes include clear, full-color and black-and-white photographs and reproductions scattered on fairly full pages. Numbers is primarily a history of mathematical discoveries up through early calculators, and computers are mentioned in the last paragraph. Writing begins with a history of alphabets and writing systems, follows through with the invention and evolution of printing technologies, and touches on the development of libraries. In both books, snippets of information are presented either as picture captions, sound-bite type paragraphs, or under "In Fact...," "Signpost," and "Breakthrough" headings. None of the coverage is in-depth, but browsers can learn something with a minimum of effort. However, there is not enough detail for reports, and the scattershot presentation makes it difficult to pull different facts together. Acceptable introductions.?JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"Bold headings alert the reader to important topics and facilitate scanning."--Library Talk

"Fun to read and might spark a student's interest in pursuing magic squares or the use of camels for money, or movable type."--VOYA

"Each page has an interesting layout with a variety of print sizes, fonts, colors, and photographs. I would recommend it for a middle school library as an introductory book showing historical relations of mathematical concepts and modern developments."--Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School

"Designed like a children's encyclopedia...with clear, colorful photos and prints and with lots of boxes that highlight amazing facts, breakthrough inventors, practical applications, and interactive projects.... The style is lively and immediate, and the snippets of information will stimulate kids to find out more."--Booklist