Meg Bennett's letter:

"..Although I must admit that the word 'worksheets' has a lot of negative associations and connotations in our minds(I've spent a lot of time railing against the excessive use of mindless worksheets in elementary schools), your WORKSHEETS are a special case, in a class by themselves. The intelectual excitement is almost palpable, leaping right off the page at the reader. ..They are engaging and they make your projects accessible to a broader group of stuents and parents.

..Your opening page of advice, 'On thinking about and doing mathematics' is great. It debunks so many preconceived notions that children (and adults) have picked up in school about math. In fact, much of the advice is applicable outside math as well. Your enthusiastic outlook on math, learning, and life is one we can all share. (In fact, if you want another idea for a poster: Just blowing up those words of wisdom on page iii would make a great one that belongs over the desk of every child in America!)

What I really like about your worksheets is that they invite the reader to really engage in serious work and hard thinking in such a delightful and low-key way. Moreover, it seems like children like Beth (age 8) can use them independently without the need for handholding and cheerleading. I also like the way you encourage children to feel free to choose their own order of working throughout the book (after the first two chapters).

In summary: when Beth received your little book, she didn't want to go to bed that night. When your worksheets arrived, she didn't want to go to school either! It's hard for plain old school to compete with the intellectual excitement of your ideas. Your approach to helping children build their own understanding of mathematics will profoundly affect their lives. Cheers."--Meg Bennett, Meg Bennett's Almanac, 2255 Algonquin Rd., Niskayuna, NY 12309

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