Do Sharks Like Ice Cream?

With this book, the author, Polly Owen, tackles a subject that is under-represented in children’s libraries and by the time they finish reading the book, the reader will know the answer to the book’s title! The idea that one can link the two ideas, shark and ice cream comes down to the art of using statistics and bad data to influence people.

Polly Owen skillfully tackles a range of basic statistical principles used in everyday life, such as data types, paradoxes and the 80/20 rule and makes them easy to understand. Readers of any age will learn much about these and other principles through the book’s straightforward descriptions and engaging layout. It looks back at significant moments in history where statistics have underpinned important discoveries such as infection control and code cracking.

The book also gives the reader handy information to use in everyday life, such as how to win a game of rock, paper and scissors using likelihood, or to be mindful of how the ‘six degrees of separation’ will make your image you share on-line reach two million people after twenty shares. Finally, children interested in mathematics or the use of logic may be interested in future career ideas such as epidemiology, marketing analyst and cyber-security in the ‘Job Focus’ boxes accompanying each section.

This is an appealing book that successfully introduces the world of statistics to a young reader and adults alike.