Prose (Story): Raksha Bandhan is coming up, and to surprise her brothers young Bina wants to make each of them a special beaded bracelet incorporating their favorite colors. After a little snooping to determine which colors each brother likes or dislikes, Bina sets out to make each bracelet via a special pattern, discovering math can actually be fun along the way.
Don's (Review): There is a lot packed into this short picture book for kids - and that's meant in the best possible way, as author LaRocca incorporates the information in a way that never feels jammed together, much less like the reader is being taught. This is a Storytelling Math book, developed in cooperation with math experts at the STEM education nonprofit TERC, which shows children utilizing math and patterns in their everday lives in a positive - even fun - way, which Bina does here in trying to make the best beaded bracelets she can for her special gifts. It's very well-executed here, as the love Bina has for her older siblings shines through as well, so by no means is this "a book about math" and in fact feels anything but. Chaaya Prabhat's lush, brilliantly-colorful illustrations help to set mood and tone for both the story and the Hindu holiday of Raksha Bandham, and to me anytime a children's book can teach me this much without it feeling like learning, said book deserves a place in any kid's library - in this case for its diversity/cultural value, alone. Very sweet. (Available April 20). 4/5 stars
NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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