SMILING DOG™ Math

We believe:

• Kids like to learn and have fun
• Math can be fun and magical (not just necessary and practical)
• Story, rhyme, illustration, and coloring are great "teachers"
• Understanding and retaining information is critical (memorizing is not the answer)
• Having opportunites to use what a child learns is important. So chances to "practice" should be fun and readily available
• In other words . . .Stories + Pictures + Coloring + Rhyme + Fun Practice = Learn Math and Have Fun!

How we translate our core beliefs into children's books:

• Engaging characters—the NUMBERS 0 to 9, sometimes 10, and their mischievous dog.
• Fun math adventures—stories are designed to help a child "experience" and absorb key mathematical ideas.
• Great illustrations that highlight key math concepts—pictures are memorable and easy for children to recall.
• Catchy rhymes—stories are not written in rhyme, but rhyme is used to help children retain key ideas because rhyme is easy to remember
• Black and white interior pages to invite children to color them, mark them up, tear them out, and hang them up at home.
• Lots of opportunities to practice. Practice is important for retaining information, so why not make practice super fun and readily available?
• Focusing on one key math idea per book—children find it easier to focus on one concept at a time.
• Books start at pre-k and will go up to third-grade math—a strong math foundation is critical!
• All books are consistent with Common Core concepts.