Nookoodoo Master Bean

About the Book

When Michael Punzak first read this story, in an out-of-print collection of Persian folktales, he immediately fell in love with it. Without ever reading the story again, he re-imagined it as Master Bean (instead of Master pea) adding in such details as the green-and-white baseball cap, the "jewels of all sorts and descriptions," the twenty-one dollar bills" and several others. He has told the story hundreds of times.

About the Author

A retired elementary schoolteacher and storyteller/musician, Mr. Punzak is a bit of a crusader regarding elementary mathematics education, which, he contends, usually fails to reveal to children the wonder, beauty, playfulness, and mystery of mathematics." Mathematics," he will tell you, "is really about pattern." He is addressing this porblem as best as he can with books: The Moths of Math, The Birds of Math, and Hafez the Mathematical stonecutter (this is a collaboration with illustrator Ruth Lieberherr) and a Book of Shapes should be available on-line and in printed form, even if self-published. More current information can be found on his website: michaelpunzak.com