Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant

Written by Songju Ma Daemicke · Illustrated by Christina Wald

A child prodigy solves the mystery of weighing an elephant without a scale.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 94 ratings

32 pages· 977 words· Est. 8 min read-aloud

$17.95Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

In ancient China, young Cao Chong faces a puzzling challenge: how to weigh an elephant without modern tools. As advisors debate, Chong's inventive mind and understanding of buoyancy lead to a clever solution. This tale of ingenuity invites readers to explore problem-solving and critical thinking, with engaging activities that extend learning beyond the story. Discover how a child's creativity can outshine even the wisest adults in this captivating journey through history and science.

From the publisher

How much does an elephant weigh? How do you know? How would you know if you didn’t have a modern scale? Six-year-old Cao Chong, the most famous child prodigy in Chinese history, faced just this problem! Chong watches as the prime minister’s most trusted and learned advisors debate different methods. The principal of buoyancy and a little bit of creative thinking help this boy come up with a solution. This fictional story includes a 4-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 30-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online. Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant is vetted by experts and designed to encourage parental engagement. Its extensive back matter helps teachers with time-saving lesson ideas, provides extensions for science, math, and social studies units, and uses inquiry-based learning to help build critical thinking skills in young readers. The Spanish translation supports ELL and dual-language programs. The interactive ebook reads aloud in both English and Spanish with word highlighting and audio speed control to promote oral language skills, fluency, pronunciation, text engagement, and reading comprehension. Tap animals and other things that make noise to hear their sounds.