Graphs!

This bright, busy, and cheerful offering introduces graphs effectively and explains how different graphs are best suited for specific types of information. The action follows a mom and two kids around an amusement park, demonstrating various ways of displaying data. Bar charts compare the number of yellow, green, and blue Ferris wheel carriages, while pictographs count the number of people in line for each ride. The content effortlessly increases in sophistication, segueing from line graphs and pie charts to double bar charts and histograms. There are also accessible explanations and examples of independent data versus percentage displays. The cartoon illustrations align nicely with the text, reinforcing concepts and modeling graphing techniques, such as using strips of construction paper for bar graphs. The book ends with a spread of sample graphs, reminding readers what kind of information each presents best, as well as simple questions to check for understanding. There haven't been many recent picture books on this topic aimed at young audiences, and the diverse cast of characters, relatable scenarios, and straightforward presentation make this a worthwhile STEAM addition for public and school library collections.

Simple introductions to common types of graphs and some of their distinctive features. A visit to an amusement park serves as a frame story: Two children (one light-skinned, one brown-skinned) and their brown-skinned mother count the number of variously colored carriages on a Ferris wheel, cars in a bumper car rink, and kids over, at, and under the required height for a roller coaster; track changing temperatures over the course of a day; and poll visitors about their favorite rides. They then convert the data into single or double bar graphs and line graphs, a pictograph, or a pie chart as appropriate. One of the two temperature graphs is oriented with temperature along the x, rather than y, axis, so the line counterintuitively bulges to one side rather than going up and down, but the charts are otherwise easy to read, and the explanations about what they show and how each is particularly suited to different types of data (e.g., single figures, collective ones, changes over time, or parts of a whole) are clear. Along with the graphs themselves, Miller supplies simple views of rides and racially diverse groups of visitors so that readers can count along. A final set of examples with test questions (and answers at the bottom) offers a quick check on comprehension. Charts helpful ways to visualize and express numerical data. (Informational picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.