Hopkins pulls together poems on mathematics, providing insights from writers such as Karla Kuskin, Janet S. Wong, and Lillian M. Fisher. Several selections share the predictable theme of the significance of math and numbers. Rebecca Kai Dotlich's title poem, for example, asks questions such as, "How fast does a New York taxi go?" and "How slow do feathers fall?" and suggests how to find the answers: "Mathematics knows it all!" Some take a unique point of view, as in Betsy Franco's "Math Makes Me Feel Safe": "Knowing that my brother will always be/three years younger than I am,/and every day of the year will have/twenty-four hours." Rhymed and open verse styles are represented, as are a variety of tones. David McCord's "Who Hasn't Played Gazintas?" is a playful presentation of spoken language. Barbour's lively illustrations dance and play around the poems. Her boldly outlined watercolor figures, often wearing ill-fitting hats, fill the pages with childlike whimsy. Children will enjoy studying the oddly colored animals, numbers, and stylized, arched-browed people. A delightful collection.
