Sarah and the Number Knights

Sarah, a new serving girl, has listened intently to the stories told by the twelve knights at King Maximo’s feast as to which is the greatest of all the numbers. Suddenly she blurts out the answer, to unanimous acclaim. In the story, Sarah relates to her former playmates what she has learned at the feast. Her narrative provides them with a wealth of activities for deepening what they have learned about mathematics, as they play in the meadow. It is in fact an instructional manual in story form. At the end of each chapter the particular Number Knight, Sir Owen, Twain, Thrice, Foursquare, Pentagonal, Hexagonal, etc. shares a further secret with the children. When one of the knights observes that they are "working" with his number, Rosemary says, "We're not working, we're playing!" If the story has a credo, it is this.