Booklist calls THE FIVE SIDES OF MARJORIE RICE by Amy Alznauer an “expressive” and “memorable picture-book biography” in starred review

Mar. 2025. 48p. Candlewick, $18.99 (9781536229479). Gr. 2–5. 516

A bright child in the 1930s, Marjorie loved nature and looked for patterns in the natural world. By her fifth year, she had taught herself to read, and when she started school, she was placed in second grade. As she grew up, she became fascinated by geometric shapes with three, four, or six straight sides. Groups of these identical polygons could fit together to create a repeating pattern (tessellation) on a floor, a wall, or a piece of paper. But only a few five-sided shapes could be combined to create such patterns. Twentieth-century mathematicians struggled to discover more, with limited success. Meanwhile, Marjorie grew up, married, and raised five children. In her spare time, she, too, searched for five-sided figures that tessellate, and she succeeded several times. Her discoveries brought attention to Rice as an amateur researcher making significant contributions to geometry. Writing with a storyteller’s flair, Alznauer captures her audience’s attention with colorful phrases and interesting facts. The back matter, which advises kids on how to create polygons and tessellations, is lively and engaging as well. Bron’s expressive digital illustrations depict Rice at different ages, while helping readers understand the geometric challenges that fascinated her. A memorable picture-book biography featuring a notable amateur mathematician.