NEUSCHWANDER, Cindy 1953-

Personal

Born October 27, 1953, in San Diego, CA; daughter of Max (a teacher) and Carol (a homemaker) Grazda; married Bruce Neuschwander (a C.F.O.), May 26, 1973; children: Tim, Seth. Education: Willamette University, B.A., 1975; Stanford University, M.A., 1976. Religion: Christian Hobbies and other interests: Travel, skiing, beach bodysurfing.

Addresses

Offıce— c/o Frederiksen Elementary School, 7243 Tamarack Dr., Dublin, CA 94568.

Career

Teacher and writer. Frankfurt International School, Oberursel, Germany, teacher, 1989-92; American Community School, London, England, teacher, 1992-93; Tracy Unified School District, Tracy, CA, teacher, 1993-96; Dublin Unified School District, Dublin, CA, teacher, 1996—.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Writings

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure, illustrated by Wayne Geehan, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 1997.

Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream: A Mathematical Story, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure, illustrated by Wayne Geehan, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 1999.

Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland: A Math Adventure, illustrated by Wayne Geehan, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 1999.

88 Pounds of Tomatoes, illustrated by Terry Sirrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

The Chocolate Champs, illustrated by Cristina Ong, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone, illustrated by Wayne Geehan, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2003.

Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry, illustrated by Bryan Langdo, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2005.

Sidelights

An elementary school teacher by profession, Cindy Neuschwander has penned several educational children's books that take an unusual approach to an often intimidating subject. Titled to attract even the most math-averse student, Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone: A Math Adventure and Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure revisit the classic tale of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone while creating scenarios with a strong math angle. In the pun-laden Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone, for example, Radius, the son of Sir Cumfrence and his wife, the Lady Di of Ameter, joins his youthful friend Vertex in a quest for Edgecalibur in order to win the favor of the king. Featuring humorous, brightly colored illustrations by Wayne Geehan, "the books can be used to support educational initiatives such as multiple intelligences, and students who are strong in verbal/linguistic areas will appreciate the integration of literature into their math lesson" stated Christine E. Carr in School Library Journal.

Neuschwander once told Something about the Author: "I am a native Californian. I was born in San Diego, but have lived in many places, including Germany, England, Austria, Switzerland, Hawaii, and the East Coast. I received a B.A. in international studies from Willamette University and an M.A. in education from Stanford University. I have been teaching since 1976, both at the high school and elementary school levels.

"I currently teach third grade in Dublin, California, where I'm a mathematics education specialist. I also enjoy reading children's literature. An interest in both of these areas led me to write children's stories with mathematics-based themes.

"In 1992, while living in England, I began working on my first book, Sir Cumference and the First Round Table. Prior to submitting it for publication, I took a writing class through the University of California at Berkeley. Since then I have had several other books published, including Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream and Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi.

"In my spare time, I enjoy activities with my family. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for more than twenty-five years. We have two sons: Tim, a medical doctor, and Seth, a college student and part-time firefighter.

"My family and I also enjoy traveling. The entire family has spent time on five of the earth's seven continents. Only Australia and Antarctica remain unvisited. We love to ski in the winter and body surf and backpack in the summer. We are active in our local church and are a committed Christian family."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 1998, review of Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream: A Mathematical Story, p. 239.

Childhood Education, winter, 2003, review of Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone: A Math Adventure, p. 91.

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1998, p. 970.

School Library Journal, September, 1998, p. 178; February, 2002, Nancy A. Gifford, review of Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland: A Math Adventure, p. 125; February, 2004, Christine E. Carr, review of Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone, p. 136; September, 2004, review of Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure, p. 58.

Teaching Children Mathematics, April, 2004, review of Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone, p. 430.