A Google user
This book, written by a grandmother for her grandchild, helps students explore the operation of multiplication (and division). It tells the tale of 100 ants on a trip to a picnic. In an attempt to speed their travel, the ants move from their single-file line of 100 to two rows of 50, four rows of 25, and so forth. This story uses the visual representation of arrays to explore several options for a group of 100 ants. Students can be given different sizes of ant groups to explore other groupings.
A Google user
Hi dee ho! It's off to a picnic we go! One hundred very hungry ants hurry to sample the delights of a nearby picnic, but marching single file seems too slow for 100 empty tummies. One enterprising ant suggests they travel in two rows of 50, four rows of 25... and the division degins. Walking in rows may not hasten the ants' progress, but reading One Hundred Hungry Ants is an entertaining way to help children understand the principles of division - and even teach them how to make change for a dollar.
Filled with Pinczes's lively marching verses and MacKain's whimsical art, One Hundred Hungry Ants will entice any child with a love of rhyme, picnics, and bugs (even if they don't love math).