R.A Stephens (text), and Carmen Dougherty (illustrator), Apples Not Orples. Wombat Books, October 2024, 40 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761111693
Primary-aged children will get a giggle out of this book that mixes things up in an entertaining way. For instance, does an apple plus an orange make an Orple? NO.
This simple concept is used by author R.A. Stephens – Wombat Books’ publisher and maths teacher – to demonstrate the concept of ‘like’ terms. The story is told by a cat that speaks directly to the reader, asking at the outset, ‘Are you a rule-follower or rule-breaker?’
Young learners will enjoy solving the simple maths problems and will easily understand the concept of like terms as demonstrated in the illustrations. Dougherty uses animal characters to tell the story with a troupe of monkeys gleefully illustrating the main point – that unlike terms cannot be added together.
The book would be a fabulous resource in an early year’s classroom or for home schoolers. Teacher notes, including maths worksheets, are available on the publisher’s website.
Reviewed by Heather Gallagher
