School Poetry Review — Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems — Franco and Tey

 Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems 

By Betsy Franco and Illustrated by Priscilla Tey

Bibliography: 

Franco, B., & Tey, P. (2022). Counting in dog years and other Sassy Math Poems. Candlewick Press.

Summary:

Counting in Dog Years is a poetry book consisting of math-related poems written by Betsy Franco and that is illustrated by Priscilla Tay. These math poems explain math problems, use numbers as wordplay devices, and add a humorous touch to a school subject that students can usually find to be difficult or boring. The poems are separated into different sections based on location and situations children (older elementary to middle school) can relate to in their everyday lives, including home life, school, and interactions with friends.  

Analysis:

The poems in Counting in Dog Years are entertaining and humorous. The inclusion of riddles creates an interactive element to the consumption of the poems that create a fun environment within the pages. Tey's illustrations are adorable cartoony character images that clarify the intended audience, and really add to the poems as an extra storytelling element by providing visuals the could help with solving the math problems presented. The book itself is short and easy to consume, which is perfect for the age range of the intended audience. 

Excerpt:

Calling Up Friends to Play

Skye's cell phone number is mostly evens.   

    The one with only odds is Steven's.

A pattern emerges when phoning Soo,

    'cause every other digit is 2.

Arash's number has 6-8-4 twice.

    Calling him up sounds like "Three Blind Mice."

In Tanya's number, the 8s dominate.

    I'll call her first since she's always late!

Whose number is whose?        428-33?4

Guess the missing digits.        748-88?8

57?-7953

525-2?24

684-68?9

Activity Idea:

The sample poem sets up a great group activity to figure out a word problem / riddle. The instructor can go through each stanza with the class to figure out whose number belongs who. This can be written out on a whiteboard. Then, the group can figure out what digits can go in the "?" spaces.