Alice in Pastaland
Alexandra Wright, author
Alexandra Wright became an author at the age of 11 with Will We Miss Them? Endangered Species, which was chosen as a Reading Rainbow Selection. Her second book, At Home in the Tide Pool, was published when she was 13. Can We Be Friends? Nature's Partners, Alexandra's third book, was written when she was in high school.
Read more about Alexandra.
Reagan Word, illustrator
Bio coming soon.
Read more about Reagan.
Teaching Children Mathematics
Alice In Pastaland is a clever and humorous tale written as a parody of the classic Alice in Wonderland. With each page, Alice finds herself immersed in a new adventure of pasta and problem solving. The borders of each page contain number patterns that children can explore and connect with the story, the characters, or both. Children in grades 3 and above will appreciate the double meanings and puns that are woven into this tale. Even character names, such as Quantum Cat, the Math Hatter, and a snake called Adder, may inspire some interesting class discussions.
Pasta Math is a teacher resource written to accompany Alice in Pastaland. It contains numerous games and activities to integrate literature with such mathematics concepts as time, money, measurement, patterning, number sense, fractions, basic operations, and problem solving. The activities are nicely varied for multiple ability levels and ages... Both books would be a whimsical addition to the elementary classroom with, according to the author, a variety of "pasta-bilities."
ENC Online Curriculum Resources
This illustrated children's book, intended for use in grades K through 3, is a retelling of Lewis Carroll's THE ADVENTURES OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND with an emphasis on number concepts, basic operations, measurement, and problem solving. As in the original tale, Alice shrinks in size, enters a strage new world, and encounters a variety of characters. She is drawn into this new world by a White Rabbit who is muttering about preparing pasta for 40 guests and wondering how much to prepare if each guest requires one quarter pound. While searching for the White Rabbit, Alice meets a Walrus who is busy selling pasta shells along a shore. Alice learns that White Rabbit has recently purchased ten dozen small shells. She inquires as to the weight of a dozen shells, determines that White Rabbit did not buy enough, and again runs off in search of him. Next, she encounters a group of boastful flowers that are busy comparing their heights in terms of spaghetti. The foxglove flower is proud to be ten spaghetti tall. Similar mathematical adventures occur as Alice continues her quest. A Past Math Teacher Guide (sold separately) supplies blackline masters, activities, and manipulative ideas that can be used to reinforce and extend these problem solving opportunities.
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-57091-151-4
E-book PDF
ISBN: 978-1-60734-152-9
Ages: 6-9
Page count: 32
8 1/2 x 9 1/2