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    The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos
    Unavailable
    The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos
    Unavailable
    The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos
    Ebook44 pages1 hour

    The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos

    By Deborah Heiligman and LeUyen Pham

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Most people think of mathematicians as solitary, working away in isolation. And, it's true, many of them do. But Paul Erdos never followed the usual path. At the age of four, he could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive in his head. But he didn't learn to butter his own bread until he turned twenty. Instead, he traveled around the world, from one mathematician to the next, collaborating on an astonishing number of publications. With a simple, lyrical text and richly layered illustrations, this is a beautiful introduction to the world of math and a fascinating look at the unique character traits that made "Uncle Paul" a great man.
    The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman is a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013 and a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJun 25, 2013
    ISBN9781466839526
    Unavailable
    The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos
    Author

    Deborah Heiligman

    Deborah Heiligman has written many books for children, including National Book Award Finalist Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith; Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers; and The Boy Who Loved Math. She lives with her family in New York City.

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    Reviews for The Boy Who Loved Math

    4.5/5

    182 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a book about a math mathematician, Paul Erdos. Paul didn't like school because he didn't like rules so he stayed home. Growing up all he did was think about numbers while his mother and babysitter does everything for him. He grew up to do math all the time and flew around the world traveling and teaching people math. This book introduces numbers like negative numbers and prime numbers. I would read this book before I introduce number concepts.
    • 5/5
      The Boy Who Loved Math is the story of Paul Erdos, a mathematician who traveled the world making friends and collaborating on them with math problems. His work even created new fields of math, as well as contributed significantly to several established fields. This book is a compact telling of his life, concentrating on his accomplishments and his love for math and his friends. The Author's Note in back is able to go into a bit more detail about the specifics of his and his family's lives.
    • 5/5
      Paul Erdos is a young boy who has a never-ending love for math. He dedicates his life to traveling around the world and finding places to stay in exchange for mathematics. Paul knew that he was not the same as other people because it was fascinated with math in ways that other people were not. For example, he would count the second's that people had on their birthday. This was a very fun book to read. I also think this is a perfect book to read in a math classroom because some students love math, and some students' brains think like Paul's does. This book will help those children not feel any different and also help the children who do not feel this way, have a better understanding of people who do.
    • 5/5
      This biography about Paul Erdos is inspirational and enjoyable all at once. In this amazing picture book, we follow Paul through his life and his passion for math. This would be such a great book to have in the classroom for many reasons but mostly to show my students that math can be enjoyable and to never give up or yourself or your dreams no matter what.
    • 5/5
      In this book Paul Erdos was a famous mathematician who fell in love with math when he was a young child. He did not like school or rules when he was younger, but wanted to go to high school so he could be with other people who loved math. I gave this book a five because it can draw people in with the story line and pictures. It teaches others that you can do anything and be successful if you push for it.
    • 4/5
      Paul Erdos was a boy who spent all of his time doing math. He was passionate about math, and he even helped make huge progress in understanding more about prime numbers. This book can be used for math instruction but would also be useful in ELA and other subjects. For instruction, I would use this book to introduce Erdos and his historical significance to math, prepare students for a lesson about prime numbers, and encourage my students to find something they love and pursue it.
    • 4/5
      Math genius Paul Erdos was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1913. He left for the United States in 1938 to escape the Nazis; most of his relatives, who were Jewish, were murdered by them. He lived until 1996, dying at a math meeting in Poland, but, as the author writes in her note, he is still inspiring mathematicians to this day.The story in the book focuses on Paul’s love of numbers, on his eccentricities, and on the many people who loved him, calling him “Uncle Paul” and assigning an “Erdos number” to their friendship with him. I.e., if you did math with him, you got an Erdos number of 1, if you worked with someone who worked with him, your number was 2, and so on.Readers of the book, recommended for ages 3 and up, will be charmed by the text, the illustrations, and perhaps become fascinated by the interesting facts about math included, especially about prime numbers.Illustrator Leuyen Pham writes in a note in the back matter that she had “a great amount of fun trying to incorporate the world of math with the world of art in this book.” She includes a very detailed and helpful guide to the math she used in some of the images.
    • 5/5
      This delightful picture book biography tells the story of a genius who at the age of 4 could tell people how many seconds they’d been alive if he knew the year and time they were born, who knew his calling as a child when he found out about negative numbers, who fell in love with prime numbers at age 10. Not a rule follower in life (he was homeschooled as a child because he couldn’t function in school), he loved the rules of mathematics. Never functioning well or fitting in with society, he invented his own way of life, travelling the world, meeting with mathematicians, and doing math. He referred to children as epsilons “because an epsilon is a very small amount in math” (p. 22). The text is filled with mathematical language such as “Mama loved him to infinity” (p.3) and the illustrations are laced with numbers and expertly researched mathematical references which LeUyen Pham explains in an illustrator’s note. A tour de force, this book could be shared with k-12 students who could be introduced to and appreciate Paul Erdos at appropriate levels. Heiligman acknowledges valuable print sources and also a documentary about Erdos N is a Number, which is well worth watching.
    • 5/5
      The Boy Who Loved Math tells the story of a famous mathematician named Paul Erdos. As a child, Paul loved the concept of infinity and often explored how mathematics interacted with everyday life. Paul had trouble following the rules in school, so his mother decided to let him stay home and complete his studies. After high school, Paul decided to travel the world to do math with his colleagues, which led to the discovery and evolution of number theory. The story of Paul Erdos’s life is a great inspiration for children who may struggle with rules and learn in unconventional ways. Heiligman does a fantastic job of integrating math concepts in a fun and intriguing way!
    • 5/5
      I've never been a fan of math but I do love this delightful biography of a numbers-obsessed real life eccentric genius and so will young readers.
    • 4/5
      This book was very fun to read for many reasons. First, the topic of the book doesn't seem to interesting because it's a book about a boy who loves math. However, the author conveys the mathematical and biographical information in a fun way that's enjoyable to read! For example, when the author tells the reader about Paul's favorite trick, "He told her how many seconds she had been alive.Paul liked that trick. He did it often.", she makes the text so interesting that the readers will want to read it again and again. Second, the illustrations are very cool. The illustrator inserts numbers into the text as well as her pictures. For example, The book begins, "Paul Erdos lived in Budapest, Hungary, with his Mama. Mama loved Paul to infinity. Paul loved Mama to ∞ too!". I think the overall message is that everyone should follow their passion, no matter mundane it may seem.
    • 4/5
      pretty dense book, lots of history in this book. Not for an early reader- unless they are getting help from an adult. But great to see a math biography! And to trace the path and life of a mathematician. Kids never believe me when I say you can grow up and do math for a living.
    • 4/5
      I gave this book 4 stars. It has lovely illustrations but also a great non-fiction picture book about math. It's also a great read about how all children do not learn the same.
    • 3/5
      The book of the Boy Who Loved Math is wonderful book about the life of Paul Erdos. Erdos was a mathematician. At the age of four, he could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive in his head. But was not able to do simple things like butter his toast until the age of twenty. In1930 at the age of 17 he earned a Ph.D. in mathematics. What I liked about this book that I felt like I connected more and more with the Erdos as the story went along. Great book to encourage students to never give up on their hopes and dreams.
    • 5/5
      A story of Paul Erdos the mathematician told in the form a beautiful and quirky picture story. Learn about the life of a man and some math facts while being told a lovely story.
    • 4/5
      The Boy Who Loved Math is a biography about Paul Erdos who was a mathematician from Hungary. His mother was a math teacher, so he spent most of his time with a babysitter. In the book Paul played with numbers by adding them together and subtracting them. The author and illustrator does a great job incorporating numbers throughout the book to express Paul's love for math. Additionally, the book's illustrations are amusing and stimulating to get children interested in numbers while learning about the life of Paul Erdos.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of the famous mathematician, Paul Erdos. The illustrator sprinkles numbers and mathematical figures throughout the book, giving young readers a real sense of Erdos love of mathematics and the influence it played throughout his life. The illustrations are colorful, cheerful, and full of life. This would be a fantastic book to get young students excited about mathematics.
    • 5/5
      Summary: Paul Erdos lived in Hungary with his mom. His mom was a math teacher so during the school year she had to work all the time. Paul did not like his babysitter so he counted down the days until his mom got home while teaching himself to count really high. Paul began to play more and more with numbers, adding them and figuring out what negative numbers are. Paul hated rules and school but his mom sent him to school so he could learn even more about numbers.His mom finally let him stay home from school with his babysitter and this caused him to learn even more about numbers. He learned about prime numbers. He went to high school and met tons of people that liked math just as much as he did. At age 20, Paul was already famous. He was so good at math but didn't know how to do any other ordinary skills, such as do laundry or cook. Paul began to travel around the world so other people could take care of him just like his mom had did before she died. He would go to mathmatecians houses and they would take great care of him because he was so famous. As Paul got older, he continued to do math and teach people about math. He created the Erdos number, something that many people still talk about today. Argument: I think this book had really good illustrations which would make it really connect well with children. The pictures are fun and inviting and cartoony, making them seem less serious. The main message is about Paul Erdos and his life. He discovered so much throughout his lifetime and this book is trying to convey that to children. I think this book would be great in a math lesson at the beginning of the year to really get children to fall in love with math the way Paul Erdos did.
    • 5/5
      The world needs more picture books about how awesome math is. This picture book helps fill in the gaps in a most satisfying way. Give it to readers who think they don't like math, give it to readers who love math, in fact, give it to everyone and anyone.
    • 4/5
      This number riddled book is a fun way to learn about a little piece of History. This is the story of the great mathematician, Paul Edros and his love for numbers since he was a little boy. Growing up all he knew were numbers and nothing else, not even how to spread butter on his toast! This story was adorable to me, some non-fiction books can be drab but this one was opposite. The illustrations were very colorful with a lot of things going on to keep the interest. Heiligman does a wonderful job making this story interesting and fun to read. I would recommend for grades 2-4.