Garbage Pizza, Patchwork Quilts and Math Magic: Stories About Teachers Who Love to Teach and Children Who Love to Learn.

This book presents some exciting possibilities for intricate interactions among parents, students, teachers and administrators that result in improved mathematical thinking. Susan Ohanian, a 20-year veteran elementary teacher, undertook a two-year project under the auspices of the Exxon Education Foundation. During the first year, she observed U.S. classrooms that were participating in the Exxon Education Foundation's K-3 Math Specialist Project. This book of inspiring and challenging stories is the result of the second year during which Ohanian analyzed and wrote about her observations.

Written from a refreshing educational basis, this book illuminates the need for change in the mathematical education of elementary children. Ohanian highlights an approach in which kindergartners use mathematical reasoning to discover patterns in their classmates' names. Parents are encouraged to think of themselves as successfully using math while constructing paper quilts with their children. Children in all grades write their explanations for mathematical thinking and problem solutions with exhilarating clarity and reasoning that are beyond traditional expectations for grades K-3.

Garbage Pizza in the title refers to an integrated environmental science project in which children evaluate their home garbage, making cardboard pizza pie graphs from examples of each type of trash. The children then visualize the amount and variety of waste worldwide using mixed media art that can stand alone.

Underlying Ohanian's observations of these innovations is the knowledge that schools and children still bear the burden of evaluation by standardized testing. Many of the problems associated with society's reliance on these tests are discussed, as well as the difficulties that teachers will face as they meet the challenge of mathematical revolution. Nevertheless, Garbage Pizza opens a window on the "elusive promise of possibility" inherent in encouraging children to explore, reason and discover mathematical thinking for themselves. The Exxon Education Foundation must be commended for believing in and supporting teachers as professionals capable of revolutionary thinking, and for giving Susan Ohanian free rein to observe and write about what she witnessed. Every professional educator from kindergarten through college should read this book, and it should be made available through schools and parent organizations to parents and other noneducation professionals.

Past methods do not seem to prevent children from "dropping out" of math by the 4th grade. Ohanian's observations, however, bear witness to this program's success in the numbers of children younger than 4th grade who have been encouraged to consider themselves successful mathematical thinkers. Education needs to hear this uplifting news. Society does as well. The book is entertaining, informative, based on careful research and truly inspiring. An extensive reference list for further reading and research will help parents and educators join the mathematics revolution. Reviewed by Julia Morgan, 4th-Grade Teacher, Cub Run Elementary School, Fairfax, VA