Status
Available
Local notes
921 Erd
Collection
Publication
Roaring Brook Press (2013), Edition: 5/26/13, 48 pages
Description
Growing up in Hungary during WWI, Erdos tried school but chafed at the rules and convinced his mother that he should study at home. He was fascinated by numbers from an early age, and by the time he was 20, he was known as The Magician from Budapest. Unable to do common tasks such as cooking, laundry, or driving, he spent his adult life flying around the world, staying with other mathematicians, and working collaboratively on challenging math problems.
Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2016)
Mathical Book Prize (Honor Title — 2016)
South Dakota Children's Book Awards (Nominee — 2016)
Orbis Pictus Award (Honor — 2014)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Nonfiction — 2016)
Cook Prize (Winner — 2014)
Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award (Honor Book — 2014)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (April 15 — 2013)
The Best Children's Books of the Year (Five to Nine — 2014)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Kids (Nonfiction — 2013)
Notable Children's Book (2014)
Nerdy Book Award (Nonfiction Picture Books — 2013)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
48 p.; 8.34 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member sbasler
This is an interesting perspective on the life of a great mathematician. I like how the illustrator incorporated numbers into each page to emphasize Paul Erdös' love of math. The illustrations are also somewhat realistic with a bit of imagination. It was also educational for me, as I had not heard
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of Paul Erdös before. Show Less
LibraryThing member Imandayeh
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
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member polochick
This book would be great in so many ways. It speaks to friendship, even when your friend is a bit quirky. It speaks to unconditional giving. It also gets into just being yourself and finding a way to make the world work for you, but not in a selfish way.
LibraryThing member emmalune
This engaging biography of a genius mathematician celebrates the life and work of Paul Edros through lyrical writing and stunning artwork.
LibraryThing member LibrarianMaven
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.
LibraryThing member alexanderkai
This a great book about boy that turned into a man who loves math but we find out he is not the conventional type. Paul Erdos was raised by his mother and his "maid" but they did everything for him to focus on math. At the age of 21 he was invited to work with other great mathematicians.
LibraryThing member csteve13
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
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member EliseMT
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
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full of life. This would be a fantastic book to get young students excited about mathematics. Show Less
LibraryThing member mtaya
I loved the story of how numbers and mathematics are always around us, and how small things can get some people's interest of their lives. I also loved the illustrations. It is very colorful and gets the readers' attentions and it shows how much the boy loves math! It shows beautiful buildings of
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Hungary and somewhat teaches its culture as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member ssho2
This was a really enjoyable and informative book about Paul Erdos, his childhood and his life. It was very positive, and I loved how they worked math problems into the story and illustrations!
LibraryThing member jwesley
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
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member herethere
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.
LibraryThing member ramfam5
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.
LibraryThing member MelindaBoland
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.
LibraryThing member loross
The artwork is a very compatible match for this story, I believe. I liked that this story was written for the younger audience, so that they may understand children similar to Paul, in their own lives, more easily. It also highlights that while sometimes the cards a person is dealt may seem like a
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burden, but can often have hidden benefits. It is a great reminder for children that being different doesn't need to be a bad thing, as long as you learn to embrace what makes you special! Show Less
LibraryThing member harrisrm
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
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kelsey_Barrell
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
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
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.
LibraryThing member Kristinewaind
The Boy Who Loved Math is a biography book about Paul Erdos, a mathematician when we was young and just developing his love for math. As Paul grows up he learns to be an adult and accepts his differences. This book beautifully shows a child's love for math and is great for young children. The
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Illustrations are fun and the story is inviting. Show Less
LibraryThing member mackenzie27
This book is about a young boy named Paul and he loved math. At a very young age he could calculate how many seconds you have been alive for in his head. He decided to travel the world as a Mathematician. I think kids should read this because it shows a love for math that most kids don't have and I
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think it's a great life story about the world of math. Show Less
LibraryThing member amandahnorman
The author’s main argument, that Paul Erdős lived an unusual life and greatly contributed to mathematics through his constant collaboration with other mathematicians, is well documented. To keep a light tone, Heiligman omitted the many tragedies and hardships of Erdős’ life. Omitting these
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events in Erdős’ life simplifies his life story, stripping away opportunities to show Erdős's and his family’s amazing resilience and courage. Reading the author’s note would definitely provide older readers and adults with a more nuanced narrative of Erdős’ life. Show Less
LibraryThing member pataustin
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
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member childrenslitpdx
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
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member caliesunshine
The boy who loved math is about a man Paul Erdos who is a world renown mathematician. Paul never wanted to do anything ordinary with his life. He couldn't cook, clean or butter his bread, he didn't even know how to do his laundry. He was so brilliant that he traveled the world and all of his
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friends did these things for him. They didn't mind because he taught them math and even helped create new math strategies. Paul never went to school until high school because he hated rules. Once he went to high school he could invent his own rules, and after high school he continued to invent his own rules and lived his life by them. He said that the day he stopped doing math, would be the day he died, and he did die, during a math lesson! Show Less
LibraryThing member Jenica_Flores
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
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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. Show Less
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Pages
48