Math-loving kittens prepare a party for their number-one grandmother in this playful picture book that demonstrates the key math concept of estimation.
The CATastrophe! cats are back, this time causing even more chaos! Nine kitties are purring with excitement for Grandma Cat’s upcoming visit. They’re going to throw her a party with cake, decorations, and a special gift. But when frantically cleaning cats misjudge how many toys they can hide in a closet, catastrophe looms. . . .
Author Ann Marie Stephens draws upon more than 30 years of teaching experience to ensure that readers absorb math while having fun in the adventure-filled CATastrophe Tale series. And Jenn Harney’s hilarious and energetic illustrations capture the antics of these enthusiastic kittens.
Each book in the CATastrophe Tale series includes helpful back matter, which shows readers that, just like the kittens, they use mathematical skills in their everyday lives. Additional titles in the series include CATastrophe!: A Story of Patterns and CATawampus!: A Story of Shapes.
"Kids who find math rigid or daunting will be charmed by this messy, busy story of nine kittens frantically scurrying around, planning a welcome home party for Grandma... the vibrant, page-filling illustrations do an especially effective job of capturing the chaos... this effortless introduction to estimation makes a great read-aloud and works equally well for very young audiences or as reinforcement for slightly older students, who might also enjoy the additional estimation challenge hidden in the book." —Booklist
Ann Marie Stephens is the author of several picture books including Scuba Dog, Cy Makes a Friend, and forthcoming titles, Arithmechicks Add Up and Arithmechicks Take Away. She was an elementary teacher for more than 30 years. She was a contributing writer for Kwame Alexander’s The Write Thing, a co-writer for Trait Crate Plus for grades 3 and 5, and has had dozens of original ideas published in Instructor and The Mailbox magazines. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she’s off scuba diving somewhere tropical. Visit annmariestephensbooks.com.
View titles by Ann Marie Stephens
Jenn Harney is the illustrator for CATastrophe!: A Story of Patterns, “Smelly” Kelly and His Super Senses: How James Kelly’s Nose Saved the New York City Subway, and Probably a Narwhal. She has worked as both an author and illustrator of children’s literature for over twenty years.She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Visit her at jkharney.blogspot.com.
View titles by Jenn Harney
Math-loving kittens prepare a party for their number-one grandmother in this playful picture book that demonstrates the key math concept of estimation.
The CATastrophe! cats are back, this time causing even more chaos! Nine kitties are purring with excitement for Grandma Cat’s upcoming visit. They’re going to throw her a party with cake, decorations, and a special gift. But when frantically cleaning cats misjudge how many toys they can hide in a closet, catastrophe looms. . . .
Author Ann Marie Stephens draws upon more than 30 years of teaching experience to ensure that readers absorb math while having fun in the adventure-filled CATastrophe Tale series. And Jenn Harney’s hilarious and energetic illustrations capture the antics of these enthusiastic kittens.
Each book in the CATastrophe Tale series includes helpful back matter, which shows readers that, just like the kittens, they use mathematical skills in their everyday lives. Additional titles in the series include CATastrophe!: A Story of Patterns and CATawampus!: A Story of Shapes.
Reviews
"Kids who find math rigid or daunting will be charmed by this messy, busy story of nine kittens frantically scurrying around, planning a welcome home party for Grandma... the vibrant, page-filling illustrations do an especially effective job of capturing the chaos... this effortless introduction to estimation makes a great read-aloud and works equally well for very young audiences or as reinforcement for slightly older students, who might also enjoy the additional estimation challenge hidden in the book." —Booklist
Author
Ann Marie Stephens is the author of several picture books including Scuba Dog, Cy Makes a Friend, and forthcoming titles, Arithmechicks Add Up and Arithmechicks Take Away. She was an elementary teacher for more than 30 years. She was a contributing writer for Kwame Alexander’s The Write Thing, a co-writer for Trait Crate Plus for grades 3 and 5, and has had dozens of original ideas published in Instructor and The Mailbox magazines. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she’s off scuba diving somewhere tropical. Visit annmariestephensbooks.com.
View titles by Ann Marie Stephens
Jenn Harney is the illustrator for CATastrophe!: A Story of Patterns, “Smelly” Kelly and His Super Senses: How James Kelly’s Nose Saved the New York City Subway, and Probably a Narwhal. She has worked as both an author and illustrator of children’s literature for over twenty years.She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Visit her at jkharney.blogspot.com.
View titles by Jenn Harney
