This book talks about the Fibonacci sequence and where we can find it in nature. This would be an awesome book to introduce the topic to the class or even something the students could use as inspiration for a project. Many students will probably not pick this book up on their own, however, it is a good book to read to them to get them talking about math in the world around them. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book and making connections with text and illustrations. Which is extremely beneficial for students when reading a story like this one. This story explains the Fibonacci sequence through plants, animals, and other patterns. Using a visual that includes many examples like this helps students not only understand the meaning of the term, but they also understand how to point it out in things that they see everyday which helps them make an even bigger connection to the material being taught. ( )

Sarah C. Campbell takes you on an adventure to tell the reader how math is all around them. "Growing Patterns" discuses Fibonacci numbers and how they appear in nature. I think it explained very well what these numbers are and where they exist in our world. The real photography in the book grasped the attention of the reader while the numbers kept your mind working and engaged in the math. Though very informative the book was simple to read and follow. I think it would be a great book for upper elementary school to use in a math or science lesson. ( )

"Growing Patterns" was simple but explanatory. It started off showing flower petals and asking the reader to count them in each picture. It then went on to explain that the flowers were following a specific pattern called the Fibonacci numbers which start 1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 13. It explained the process for following the pattern with clear visuals. The book then segued into finding the Fibonacci numbers in spirals found in nature such as pinecones and pineapples. This spiral was a way to introduce the Fibonacci numbers creating a spiral which follows the numbers and grows similar to the Golden Spiral. It really goes to show that math is everywhere we look! ( )

One way to get kids interested in math is to point out all the ways in which numbers have special and very cool properties that are reflected in nature.

This book focuses on the way Fibonacci numbers can be found in everything from sunflowers to pineapples. The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers in which you get to the next number by adding up the two numbers before it. For example, starting with 1 and adding it to get the next number, and then continuing in this way, you get: 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, and so on. Thus the first 12 numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, and 144. Amazingly enough, you can see the Fibonacci pattern everywhere in nature, such as in more than 90 percent of plants in which multiple parts are arranged around a single stem.

The author provides a number of photographs in which you can see the Fibonacci sequence, with help on how to count the sections of the pineapple or the spirals of a pinecone.

After showing you how the Fibonacci sequence works, the author includes some background on other fascinating numbers, like the Golden Ratio, Lucas Numbers, and the Golden Spiral. And she could have added more! For example, Euler’s number, or e. With the possible exception of Pi, e is the most important constant in mathematics. The numerical value of e is approximately 2.718281828459045... (It has been calculated to 869,894,101 decimal places.)

E is used to calculate changing amounts like compound interest and radioactive decay and much, more more. You can also have fun with it: for example, you can select at random any number from 1 to 1000; do it again until the sum of the numbers selected is greater than 1000. On average, the number of times you have to pick a new number will be e!!!

There are so many magical patterns in math. It leads one to wonder, as Mario Livio does in his book, Is God a Mathematician? - did humans invent math, or did they just discover this possibly divine order? Is our universe like it is because it cannot be any other way? Is God in the Equation as suggested in the book by Corey S. Powell?

A glossary is at the end of the book.

Photographs in the book were contributed by both the author and her husband Richard Campbell.

Evaluation: Often kids can’t understand why they need to know about math or science. So it’s important to get kids to understand the way it structures our universe; it can enhance their appreciation of the unique and evoke excitement and curiosity to learn more. ( )