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Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle

Part of Sir Cumference

Author Cindy Neuschwander

Illustrated by Wayne Geehan

$8.99 US

Charlesbridge

80 per carton

On sale Aug 04, 2015 | 9781570917660

Age 7-10 years

Reading Level: Lexile 670L | Fountas & Pinnell Q

Sales rights: World

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Children's Books > Children's Nonfiction

Join Sir Cumference and the gang for more wordplay, puns, and problem solving in the clever math adventure that introduces readers to the concept of rounding numbers.

When Steward Edmund Rounds and Sir Cumference notice that there are strangers camped nearby, Rounds II decides to investigate despite being involved with the task of learning how to make accurate counts of the castle's stores of food, supplies, and weaponry. When he reports back that an enemy is lying in wait, everyone moves quickly to defend the castle. But wait! Will Rounds II be able to figure out how many bows and arrows they have to create an appropriate battle plan? Using rounding techniques to figure out the totals more quickly, Rounds II is just in time to help stave off a potentially disastrous attack. Readers will love making the rounds with Rounds II and the gang in this new installment of the Sir Cumference series that makes math fun and accessible for all.

“Another great harvest day! But wait—who’s that?” asked Edmund Rounds, the castle steward. He pointed to a few small tents just visible among the trees.
            “It’s probably travelers bedding down for the night,” answered Sir Cumference.
            Just then the steward’s son bounded up the stairway.
            “Ah, Rounds 2, keeping track of everything in the castle?” asked Sir Cumference with a smile.
            The boy nodded. Everyone called him Rounds 2, since he and his father were both named Edmund.
            “Papa, I’ve finished the counts you asked for,” he said, handing his father two scrolls. As the castle’s next steward, Rounds 2 was his father’s assistant.
            “Wonderful!” exclaimed Steward Rounds. “Let’s look these over during supper.”

Copyright © 2015 by Cindy Neuschwander (Author); Wayne Geehan (Illustrator). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

This latest series installment uses stories involving a knight named Sir Cumference as jumping-off points to explore mathematical concepts tackles rounding. Edmund Rounds and his son, Rounds 2, are responsible for keeping an inventory of items at Sir Cumference’s castle. When Rounds 2 hands over his latest counts for inspection, Edmund notices that the number of bread loaves and butter pots has not been totaled. Rounds 2 admits that adding is the difficult part. As they total the items together, he finds that it is much easier to calculate numbers in groups of 10 (10, 20, 30, etc.). His father tells him that for some items, such as the number of bees in the hives, it’s acceptable to come up with an approximate number. To thank his father for his assistance, Rounds 2 sets off to count the bedding of some travelers passing by but discovers that the men are enemies intent on attacking the castle. As Sir Cumference prepares for battle, he asks Rounds 2 to retrieve the bow and arrow counts. While these items have been counted, they have not yet been totaled, and Rounds 2 is left to complete the calculations himself. By rounding up or down to the nearest 10, Rounds quickly completes the task in what soon becomes known around the castle as the Rounds 2 Method. VERDICT Complete with the illustration style and subtle puns expected of the series, this title will be enjoyed by fans of the previous books.
-School Library Journal