Mathstart Probably Pistachio Level 2

Nothing goes right for Jack all day long. He can't find his favorite sneakers, he spills milk on his math homework, and worst of all, he gets tuna fish for lunch. Will things ever get better? Readers will learn how to tell when something is certain, more likely, less likely, or impossible as Jack keeps hoping his streak of bad luck will break. Maybe, just maybe, pistachio ice cream for dessert will do the trick. But will it happen? Considering how Jack's day has been going, PROBABLY NOT! Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal Gr 1-2-Jack is having a bad day. Everything goes wrong, from his alarm clock not going off in the morning to his futile hopes of pizza for dinner. The word "probably" is used several times, along with related possibilities, like "usually" and "sometimes." Even though the coach "nearly always" chooses teams a certain way, today he changes his method, and Jack and his friend are separated. With an "even chance" that Mom brought home his favorite ice cream, she pulls out his sister's favorite (but she also had his favorite in the bag). The cartoon illustrations extend the narrative, showing some activities not mentioned in the text, such as Jack spilling milk on his homework. Characters react to the action in dialogue balloons, and the protagonist's thought processes are shown as well. Winborn's characters have excellent facial expressions and Jack's dog has a personality of its own. While Judith Viorst gave readers the classic version of a truly bad day with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Atheneum, 1972), Murphy uses it to illustrate probability instead.-Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OK Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Ages 6-8. "With Mom, Mondays mean it's probably pastrami. And pastrami is my favorite food in the whole world." Unfortunately for Jack, it's Dad's turn to fix lunch, and that's just the beginning of a bad day. In this MathStart entry, Stuart introduces the concept of probability. As Jack moves through his day, he makes a series of predictions based on good reasoning. As he thinks through the likelihood of each situation turning out in his favor, his thoughts appear in a cloud-shaped bubble above his head. Winborn's watercolors playfully depict Jack's misery as things go from bad to worse, until his bad luck finally ends when Mom brings home his favorite dessert, pistachio ice cream. As in Missing Mittens and other series titles, a closing section has follow-up activities to extend and enrich the lesson, as well as a short list of books with related themes. Lauren Peterson Copyright å© American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.