The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat

I was always trying to find some good math books that promote interests in math. I finally ended up with this one. My 9 years old daughter like it. This is the only math book that she will read without being asked for. The book has wide variety of topics. The kids can start with simpler topics, and over the time they will gradually understand the more abstract ones. Recomanded for kids 9-12 years old.

This book is so much fun. It has mathematical concepts I had never even heard of. For someone who lost their love of math through public school, I thoroughly enjoy reading the fun ideas presented here. It makes higher math skills available to non-math people without being threatening or overwhelming. I love this book.

I bought this book to get ideas for a math enrichment course for elementary school children. It's full of great ideas! - lots of interesting topics which are accessible to children but which they might not see in school. It's written in a very friendly, non-threatening way - even kids who don't usually like math might be drawn in. The story line about the cat seemed silly to me, but my 5-year old daughter loved it and kept begging me to read more. Most of the math in the book is suitable for age 7-12 or even older.

When I showed this book to my seven-year-old math monster, he wouldn't let me stop reading it. I read most of the book to him over about 3 hours, with discussions and figuring out some of the little puzzles at the end. Then, first thing this morning he stuffed the book back in my hands. I'm sure my voice will feel better tomorrow, and the things I learned will last a lot longer. He wouldn't let me stop reading enough to play the games that used paper and scissors until I had read everything. He's doing them now. Maybe when my throat recovers I'll tell him I also bought another book by this author.

This books introduces math topics that kids dont' usually get exposed to until much later in school. The author opens up the idea that math is more than just math facts. The book is written in an easy-to-read style.