Peg + Cat : The Eid al-Adha Adventure by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

Candlewick Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763699321
(Age: 3-7) Recommended. "Peg + Cat : The Eid-Adha Aventure" is a simple, yet interesting story that could be used in so many different ways. The basis of these stories surround Peg and her sidekick Cat, who always come across really big problems, and they generally need to fix them using basic mathematics. As it is also a TV show on a children's channel many children will be familiar with the characters and the format of the story. This particular story has the added features of 2 new friends Yasmin and Amit, and their favourite cultural holiday Eid-Ahda. This particular holiday surrounds the notions of giving to those with less, making a smooth transition to the mathematical themes of less and more (and their signs < and >).
The friends also have to divide meat into thirds, and use scales to ensure that their servings are the same. On top of the math concepts that can be discussed and taught through this book, teachers/carers/parents could also use this story to look at different cultural traditions and holidays, how to decipher needs vs wants and also learning about helping those that need assistance through illness or hardship.
I really like books that can be both simple, fun stories and a teaching tool. This enables the listener to purely listen, and through the enjoyment of the story pick out extra learnings and understanding. My children (3 and 7) loved this book as they knew the characters and the format, as well as some of the predictable phrases. We give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Lauren Fountain