What a delicious way to learn math! Via story and illustration, this book introduces students to Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and Geo of Metry. Using Camelot and King Arthur as the setting, the author presents a problem that is eventually solved -- after several false tries -- through the use of mathematical principles. Students have the pleasure of learning about octagons, parallelograms and radius through mirth and whimsy.

The large format with bright colors and accompanying text introduces students to the characters, the setting, and the mathematical problem. How will the Knights place themselves around a table so that they are comfortable and of equal status? Mathematics provides the solution.

This book may not take the place of a math class, but it is certainly a refreshing and creative approach to the introduction of math vocabulary -- usually reserved as textbook territory. It is an adventure that students shouldn't miss. Merriment in math! An idea whose time has come.

One of King Arthur's knights attempts to design a table around which all of the knights can sit. With his wife, Lady Di of Ameter, and his son, Radius, Sir Cumference experiments with different shapes. Finally, a fallen tree inspires a round table. Geehan's illustrations , particularly the diagrams, help readers understand the geometry. Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (1999), Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland (2001), and Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone (2003) provide similarly playful intorductions to additional topics.

Students already familiar with shape principles will get the most out of this punny medieval story in which Sir Cumference, his wife Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius try to help King Arthur create the perfect table for his knights. Other Sir Cumference titles deal with angles, the number Pi, and three dimensional shapes.

Have you met Sir Cumference? He’s such a wonderful person, along with his wife, Lady Di, and son, Radius. His friends can’t be beat either - King Arthur, Geo of Metry, Sym, Sir D’Grees, King Lell, Per, Countess Areana, Vertex, Sir Tangent, Sir Lionel Segment and others.

Living in Camelot under King Arthur, Sir Cumference and his buddies must work through many complications that require mathematical and logical thinking. During visits to such places as the Mountains of Obtuse, Angleland and the Isle of Immeter, people must be rescued, clues must be found and problems must be solved!

The stories are full of action and suspense that have kept my children enthralled time and time again. The author, Cindy Neuschwander, is an absolute genius in the creativity of these books! It’s beyond me how the books not only have a great plot, but teach math concepts within the storyline – and don’t lose any qualities of living literature in the process!

Depending on the book(s) you read, the following concepts are covered:

* Circumference
* Diameter
* Radius
* Pi
* Angles
* Lines
* Measurement
* Perimeter
* Area
* 3-D shapes
* Counting by 10’s, 100’s, 1,000’s

Any child 1st grade and above will enjoy listening to the stories, but older children (4th grade and higher) will most likely grasp the math concepts best. I used to check the books out from the library until I almost wore my card out rechecking them! Now, I’m the proud owner of each and every one. (A CM homeschool can never have enough living literature on the bookshelves, can it?)