Education World Oklahoma City, OK June 2000 Multiplication is a tough concept for many kids to grasp.Indeed, many kids learn times tables without fully nderstanding the simple concept that underlies them --that multiplication is an easier form of addition. Now, along comes Amanda Bean -- the poster child for multiplication misunderstanding! Amanda loves to count. Her friends even call her "Bean Counter" because she sees everything as a counting challenge. Amanda loves to count so much that she can't seethe sense in learning to multiply -- in spite of the urgings of her parents and teachers, who try to explain how learning to multiply will make the counting process even easier! However, as luck would have it, everything changes one night. Amanda is so focused on counting that even her dreams involve counting -- but this night she is so overwhehned by the counting challenges in her dream that multiplication finally makes sense to her. ("Y-a-a-h-h-h!" cheer the sheep in Amanda!s dream when she finally gets it!) Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream (produced under the Marilyn Bums Brainy Day Book label by Scholastic Press) was written by Cindy Neuschwander, who also wrote Sir Cumference and the First Round Table. Pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations by Liza Woodruff add real kid appeal -- not to mention countless opportunities to multiply! And Bums, a nationally known math educator, offers ideas for teaching the principle of multiplication and for extending the story and learning.