Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.ĭisclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 13:02:08 Boxid IA40042805 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier This classic book makes the ideas memorable, understandable, and beautiful.įind this review on Sonderbooks at: Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

It starts out very small, but can grow to very big if you keep on doubling. I’m afraid during a pandemic is an especially good time for kids to have a basic understanding of how exponential growth works. On the final day, two hundred and fifty-six elephants show up on a giant fold-out page bringing the contents of four royal storehouses.

I like the way the story doesn’t pretend that someone counts out each grain (couldn’t be done in a day!), but shows progressively bigger baskets transporting the rice. It’s a picture book, after all.Īs for the math – there’s a chart at the back that shows how many grains of rice Rani gets on each of the thirty days, so kids can see the exponential growth. I also like the way the tyrant hoarding rice reforms and everybody’s happy at the end. The lowly person in this story is a clever peasant girl named Rani who devises a plan to feed hungry people. This version has Demi’s exquisite artwork. Yes, I’ve heard the tale in different versions, so I knew what to expect: a lowly person outwitting an autocrat with the power of exponential growth, asking for one grain of rice the first day, twice as much the next day, and doubling each day for thirty days. One Grain of Rice was recently chosen for the Mathical Books Hall of Fame, so I thought I should catch up – I missed this one when it was published. Review written May 7, 2021, from a library book

One grain of rice by demi