The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular

July 23, 2012
In comic book–style panels, Long augments a circus routine—performed by five bug-eyed ducks punnily dubbed the Wing Wing Brothers—with simple math lessons. Act one, which involves balancing spinning plates, introduces the idea of greater than, less than, and equal to: “Wendell now has eight plates. Willy still has five plates” (and after both ducks lose control, they are left with “the same number again”: zero). Both the second and third acts of the ducks’ show focus on addition and subtraction through pie juggling (and throwing), and a mysterious box that causes the duck brothers to disappear. Readers won’t know what to expect next as Long demonstrates spot-on comedic timing while explaining each concept clearly. Math has rarely been this much fun. Ages 4–6.

Starred review from July 1, 2012
The vaudevillian Wing Wing Brothers' attempts to outdo and upstage each other are sure to cause some giggles...and ideally some math learning, as well. Act 1 is all about comparing amounts and introduces children to the equal, less-than and greater-than signs. Wendell and Wilmer try to one-up each other in the number of spinning plates they are able to balance. In the end, 10=10 predictably becomes 0=0. Act 2 focuses on addition and subtraction and stars Willy, who holds one pie. His brothers each try to nail him with more pies, but he just adds them to his juggling act. When Willy is juggling 4+1=5 pies, the slapstick ending (and subsequent subtraction problem) is not hard to guess. The third act mixes up the addition and subtraction problems with a magic box that causes the brothers to appear and disappear. When all the brothers disappear into the box, green clouds give a hint as to the final slapstick joke. Long seems to know just how long to draw out the shtick so it doesn't lose readers' attention, ending on a comical high note. His humorous illustrations--black pencil outlines with digital color that are reminiscent of Mo Willems' pigeon--will keep kids riveted with the birds' fantastically expressive faces. This is how learning math should be--painless, comical and, yes, spectacular. (Math picture book. 4-8)

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October 1, 2012

K-Gr 1-The Wing Wing Brothers put on quite a show. In three acts, these goofy birds spin plates, juggle, toss pies, disappear and reappear via a magic box, and still have time for a fart joke. Between all the high jinks, lessons are taught about greater than, less than, equal to, and addition and subtraction that, according to the concluding paragraph, meet the Common Core State Standards for kindergarten mathematics in counting, cardinality, and operations in algebraic thinking. The text uses words, numbers, and mathematical symbols to show the various concepts. The action-packed, thoroughly cartoony illustrations clearly depict the concepts. Good as a teaching aid or for review.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2012
Preschool-G Meet the lovable Wing Wing Brothers, five comical, costumed characters with bird features as well as human ones (birdlike feet, humanoid arms, birdlike beaks, gleaming teeth). Their three-act stage show includes two brothers engaged in competitive plate-juggling, one brother juggling pies, and all five mysteriously disappearing into and reappearing from a large box. All these activities lend themselves to mathematical expressions that change to reflect events in the stories. Throughout the book, mathematical symbols such as>,

January 1, 2013
In three acts, five performing duck brothers compete with one another and introduce basic math concepts by spinning plates, juggling pies, and disappearing in a box. The simple cartoony panels give the book a comic-book appearance, and humor abounds via sibling rivalry, slapstick elements, and even a flatulence joke. An appended note addresses Common Core State Standards for kindergarten mathematics.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)