Polly's Pen Pal

Enjoyed by readers of age: 9 to 12

Read the most by: boys and girls

Help kids with their math skills plus their reading skills with the engaging and fun MathStart series!


Polly's Pen Pal  is perfect for teaching metrics to second, third, and fourth graders. Polly's pen pal, Ally, is 125 centimeters tall, weighs 25 kilograms, and lives 450 kilometers away—and Polly is determined to find a way to visit her! A story of long-distance friendship introduces basic metric measurements to children.

Kids will love the story and the funny illustrations by Remy Simard. Parents and other educators will love how the story and pictures make understanding comparisons a breeze—as well as the concrete examples of how math works! The book contains activities for adults to do with kids to extend math into their own lives! Math = Fun!

MathStart is an award-winning series by Stuart J. Murphy that teaches math through stories and visual models. Young readers find the stories engaging and relatable, because each story revolves around practical applications of the math concept being presented and features lively art from top-notch illustrators.

Charts and other visual representations help children understand how the math works and promote deeper comprehension. This unique combination of stories, illustrations, and visual models helps teachers and parents in the teaching of math and provides all children with the opportunity to succeed.

The 63-book series is divided into three levels with 21 books in each. The math concepts taught in MathStart books conform to state and national standards. Level 1 is Pre-K–Kindergarten; Level 2 is Grades 1–3; Level 3 is Grades 2–4. The series follows math topics across grades so there is a foundational path to learning that runs through the levels.