The idea behind Life of Fred is that if students have an enjoyable experience and have fun doing their math, they will remember it and use it and have a good taste in their math about the whole subject. The sub-title on each of his math books is "As Serious As it Needs to Be". And that is just the point: math doesn't need to be horrid and dry. This is math—just as serious as it needs to be—and I can tell you from my child's smiles and chuckles, that's not very serious at all! As a bonus, these books are very low priced compared to any other math books on the market. If you have a creative child who is languishing on traditional math programs, try Life of Fred! Math, As Serious As it Needs to Be! All the Life of Fred Elementary series textbooks, in one set! Contains 10 books: Apples, Butterflies, Cats, Dogs, Edgewood, Farming, Goldfish, Honey, Ice Cream, Jelly Beans