Equal Shmequal
Virginia Kroll, author
Virginia Kroll attended Canisius College and the State University of New York at Buffalo. She was formerly an elementary school teacher and has raised six children of her own. It was Virginia's love of children that led her to begin her career as a children's writer in 1984.
Read more about Virginia.
Philomena O'Neill, illustrator
Philomena O'Neill has worked as an illustrator for more than 15 years. Equal Shmequal is her first book with Charlesbridge. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Read more about Philomena.
Kirkus Reviews
Forest animals learn the many meanings of "equal" through a game of tug-of-war. Mouse initiates the game with Bear, but then realizes that he forgot the important rule of equal teams. As more animals join in, they debate about how to divide evenly and test their ideas. Meat versus plant eaters doesn't work, nor does furry versus not furry or even halves, since they are different sizes. Bear's response to it all? "Equal Shmequal." Gradually the animals learn that just because the numbers are equal does not mean the teams are equal. Mouse's solution is to equalize the weights, using a seesaw to balance the teams. When Bear and Mouse pull against Turtle, Rabbit, Bobcat, Wolf and Deer, neither side moves--until Bear gets distracted. Moral: "What really matters is equal effort." A final note tells readers "what it means to be equal" in math, art, law, and team sports. Detailed watercolor illustrations clearly show readers what is equal and what is not, especially as the animals fall at their early efforts. A cute look at what can be a difficult concept.
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-57091-892-6
E-book
ISBN: 978-1-60734-155-0 PDF
Ages: 5-8
Page count: 32
81/2 x 91/2