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Sir Cumference and the First Round Table

Part of Sir Cumference

Author Cindy Neuschwander

Illustrated by Wayne Geehan

Hardcover

$16.99 US

| $19.99 CAN

Charlesbridge

On sale Jul 01, 1997 | 32 Pages | 9781570911606

Age 7-10 years | Grades 2-5

Reading Level: Lexile 600L | Fountas & Pinnell O

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Children's Books > Children's Nonfiction

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Join Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius for wordplay, puns, and problem solving in this geometry-packed math adventure.

King Arthur was a good ruler, but now he needs a good ruler. What would you do if the neighboring kingdom were threatening war? Naturally, you'd call your strongest and bravest knights together to come up with a solution. But when your conference table causes more problems than the threat of your enemy, you need expert help. Enter Sir Cumference, his wife Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius. With the help of the carpenter, Geo of Metry, this sharp-minded team designs the perfect table conducive to discussing the perfect plan for peace.

The first in Sir Cumference series, Sir Cumference and the First Round Table makes math fun and accessible for everyone.

Long ago, in a land known as Camelot, there lived many knights and ladies. Their ruler was a mighty, but gracious, man named King Arthur. During many years of peace and good harvests, the people lived happily.
            The trouble began when they saw the army of their neighbors to the north gathering at the border. These people, known as the Circumscribers, looked as if they might be preparing to make war. King Arthur called upon his bravest and most trusted knights to plan what to do.
            The knights rode as fast as they could to the King’s castle. Sir Cumference lived nearby, so his family came with him. Sir Cumference was married to Lady Di, who came from the town of Ameter.
            They had a son named Radius. Radius was very small and quite young, but his keen mind and boundless energy more than made up for what he lacked in height and age.

Copyright © 2013 by Cindy Neuschwander (Author); Wayne Geehan (Illustrator). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

"One of King Arthur's knights attempts to design a table around which all of the knights can sit. With his wife, Lady Di of Ameter, and his son, Radius, Sir Cumference experiments with different shapes. Finally, a fallen tree inspires a round table. Geehan's illustrations, particularly the diagrams, help readers understand the geometry. Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland, and Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone provide similarly playful introductions to additional topics."—School Library Journal

"Students already familiar with shape principles will get the most out of this punny medieval story in which Sir Cumference, his wife Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius try to help King Arthur create the perfect table for his knights. Other Sir Cumference titles deal with angles, the number Pi, and three dimensional shapes."—Booklinks

Cindy Neuschwander is a native Californian born in San Diego. She received a BA in international studies from Willamette University and an MA in education from Stanford University. She has been teaching since 1975, both at the high school and elementary levels. As a mathematics education specialist, Cindy sought ways to make math fun, interesting, and comprehensible to her students. In 1992, while living in England, Cindy began working on her first book with this goal in mind. Sir Cumference and the First Round Table took five years to reach publication, but it remains a very popular book for its presentation of math concepts as well as for its amusing and exciting story. View titles by Cindy Neuschwander

Wayne Geehan, a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, has been illustrating books, board games, and jigsaw puzzles for over 20 years. He is the illustrator of Multiplying Menace and Cut Down to Size at High Noon, as well as the Sir Cumference series. When he isn't painting in his Massachusetts studio, he enjoys being with his family, reading, and researching his family's genealogy. View titles by Wayne Geehan