DON'T BE MEAN TO 13 https://ift.tt/dryF30i

The number 13, anthropomorphized as a black, fluffy dust ball with red lips, discusses its status as a bugaboo with a child with light-brown skin and dark-blue hair. “Do you know that I am the most feared number from zero to googolplex?” 13 asks, pointing out that hospitals pretend not to have 13th floors because people are so frightened of the number, and that some folks refuse to go to work on Friday the 13th. The words superstition and triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13) are introduced and defined for readers. Some origins of people’s fears of 13 are suggested: Maybe it’s because many number systems in the modern world are based around the number 12, and 13 threatens order—or, perhaps it has to do with a Norse myth about Loki. Our heroes ultimately conclude that there’s no proof that 13 is more dangerous than other numbers. Clean, simple cartoon illustrations by Yip Jar Book Design give a friendly face to the symbol of bad luck. The lighthearted anti-superstition message could easily have been enriched with additional anecdotes, facts, or entertaining origin stories for other cultural fears. Still, this book is an engaging discussion-starter for classrooms and families.

from Kirkus Reviews https://ift.tt/gnuwq5c