Rating: 3 stars
Headline: Packed with detailed explanation, the tone of voice in Calvin Loves Calculus is what holds this back from being a five star read
Review:
Authored by passionate STEM advocate Roy Blacksher, Calvin Loves Calculus puts fun and beauty into what is often seen by many as a scary topic: calculus. With a target audience of twelve to eighteen year olds, Calvin Loves Calculus sees its title character, Calvin, lead readers through various educational lessons to help make calculus more accessible, helping readers connect with the subject. The overall aim of the book is to encourage and inspire young adults in their pursuit of studies and careers in STEM fields.
Despite the shortness (coming in at just over forty pages),Calvin Loves Calculus packs in plenty of information using fun language and bright and colourful pictures. Energy and excitement bounce off every page, which is something of a rarity when it comes to non-fiction, let alone one that tackles mathematic studies head-on. Towards the end of the book, Blacksher includes a quick one-page quiz to put readers to the test when it comes to their knowledge. A fun way to round-off everything that has been covered in the pages proceeding.
First and foremost, it is worth celebrating the knowledge Blacksher has on the topic of calculus. Every page is filled, top to bottom, with insightful real-world examples and plenty of equations to get the mathematic juices following. Readers (and more importantly their parents) can come to this book confident that all the information provided here is true and correct.
Where this book does get a little lost however is in the very audience it is trying to target. The cover imagery implies a younger audience demographic, with its use of cartoon drawings and bold, vibrant colours. The book’s wording also leans into a younger, elementary (or primary) school readership, especially where it utilises the relationship between a maths teacher father and his son to explain complicated arithmetic. At times it can almost come across unintentionally babyish or as if the tone of voice is talking down to the reader. Take these two snippets as examples:
“Calvin, do you remember going to the park when you were younger?” Dad asked. “Yes, I remember. I took my bike
and had a lot of fun”, I gleefully replied. (p. 8)
“But my dad says you should think of calculus as a bridge to understanding even cooler areas of math.” (p. 21)
Sometimes it is not always obvious (and tone of voice can be really subtle), but authors penning material aimed at a particular demographic needs to be hyper aware of the language, imagery and, indeed, age bracket they are targeting.
While Calvin Loves Calculus is incredibly informative, and comes from a place of significant author knowledge, the tone of voice is what holds this back from being a five star read. A useful guide, pitched to the wrong audience.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Calvin Loves Calculus” by Roy Blacksher
Purchase Link: “Calvin Loves Calculus” by Roy Blacksher (Amazon)
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