This book is about math! I love tying other subjects into reading to get the other subjects meaning, as well as math more meaning. ( )

This book was such a cute way to explain equal numbers in math. It tells the story of a group of animals playing tug-of-war against each other, and trying to find out the best way to split sides in order for both sides to be even. It began with the small animals (such as the mouse and turtle) versus larger animals (bob cat and bear) -- making it easy for the bigger animals to 'win". At first, they suggest vegetarians versus carnivores, then fur versus non-fur. However, as the story progresses, they understand that the weight of each animal needs to be distributed as evenly as possible on both sides. Very cute story that would be beneficial for younger readers to visualize halving amounts - as it also may be something that could be done in a math class between students. ( )

Equal Shmequal is about a bunch of animal friends wanting to play a game they saw the kids at school playing, tug-a-rope, but they can't seem to figure out how to make it fair. The friends try a bunch of different ways of splitting up the team, such as plant eaters only on one side and the other animals on the other. They do this until they finally figure out the perfect combination to make the game equal.
This book would be good in any classroom because the meaning of equal can be taken anyway. Are the numbers equal? Are the weights equal? Are the sentences equal? Do the meanings of the words equal each other? I rate this book a 4/5 because it is very easy to read and the pictures are great! ( )

This is the story of two friends, Mouse and Bear, who wanted to play a game of tug-a-war. Mouse and Bear quickly learned that the teams needed to be equal for the game to work, so along with their friends they worked together to create two equal teams. I give this book 4-stars because it is a great introduction to balancing equations. It also shows students the process of problem solving as the friends worked together to figure out how to make two equal teams. ( )

It all started when mouse and bear were playing tug of war together. Bear won because the teams were not equal. Other animals came to join the game, but the teams were still not equal. Finally, the animals used a seesaw to make equal teams so that they could play a game that was fair. This would be a great story to read during a math class. It could help the students understand what it means to be equal and how to make things equal. ( )