That’s a Possibility!

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD selection

Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
A smart intro to a pivotal math concept.

School Library Journal (starred review)
Great fun….the pictures really pop.

Booklist
Sumptuous and delectable photos…a sterling example of how to make a potentially difficult and possibly offputting topic easy to swallow. (NOTE FROM BRUCE: Probability isn’t offputting—it’s a lot of fun!)

Kirkus Reviews
Odds are, Goldstone’s latest math title will provide readers with both the vocabulary and the practice to make them likely experts at determining probability. Well-chosen, kid-friendly photos.

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About the Book

I’ve always liked odds (which doesn’t necessarily make me odd, though I happily embrace oddity when I encounter it. So much more interesting than normalcy, isn’t it?) The language of probability helps all of us talk about what might happen, and who doesn’t like to dabble in a bit of prediction every now and then?

For example, I bet my niece Claire didn’t think it was likely that her second-favorite bear, Squidgy, would end up with his own two-page spread in one of my books, but there he is, modelling a smart new wardrobe of 100 outfits—all of the possible combinations of 10 shirts and 10 pants. I’ve posted a few of them here. (I made these myself. Have you ever tried making clothes for a teddy bear? Not as easy as it sounds. Let’s just say that Squidgy’s wardrobe looks good from the front, but don’t ask him to turn around…) This is Squidgy’s second appearance in one of my books, actually. Look closely at page 20 of Greater Estimations and you’ll spot him.

So why is Squidgy Claire’s second favorite, given his ever-increasing fame? Well, I got to know him because he was the travel substitute bear for Dream Bear, her most-loved stuffed animal. Dream Bear was much too precious to go on trips, for fear of what might happen to him, so Squidgy took his place whenever Claire would come to visit, or we’d go places.

Which means Squidgy is the best-traveled bear I know, having seen the sights across the United States (from Cape Cod to California, from Cleveland to Texas) and Europe, including Barcelona, Norway, Italy, and more.