The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos

As a boy in Budapest, Paul Erdos (1913–1996) had problems to solve, but they didn’t involve math. Rules were a problem, and school was another: “Paul told Mama he didn’t want to go to school anymore. Not for 1 more day, for 0 days. He wished he could take days away—negative school days!” Heiligman and Pham cleverly incorporate mathematical references through this story, which follows Erdos from a numbers-obsessed boy to a numbers-obsessed man who flouted societal norms and couch-surfed the globe—other mathematicians were honored to have him as a guest for the chance to talk math with him. Erdos’s unconventional brilliance shines through on every page, and extensive author and illustrator notes (including Pham’s explanations of the mathematical concepts she works into each illustration) will delight readers with even a fraction of Erdos’s interest in math. Ages 3–8. (June)