Some people just learn math best through stories. Math stories can be a great, fun way to learn concepts before getting into specifics. A lot of Calculus books are really dry or go straight to the equations without building basic understanding first.
These calculus books introduce the main concepts through a short fairy tale and then get into all the math. The books help build conceptual understanding first, and then get into the details of problem solving.
Fairy Tale Calculus: Limits – Math Stories with Study Guides Book 1 (4/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99)
This is a short fairy tale that introduces the ideas involved in calculating limits, which are part of the foundation of Calculus.
It is followed by a tutorial that goes into detail about how to calculate limits, including practice problems. The tutorial assumes some basic algebra knowledge.
One Pre-Calculus teacher says: “Cute and accurate…It is a quick read and a cute way of drawing certain students in”
Fairy Tale Calculus: The Derivative – Math Stories with Study Guides Book 2 (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99)
I (the author) have been tutoring calculus for over ten years now, so I know which things about Calculus tend to be confusing. I tutor a lot of AP Calculus, so the content in this book is designed to cover what is covered in that class; this book is also part of a series, so it doesn’t cover all of AP Calc by itself, just the definition of a derivative.
The topics covered here build on each other and every little detail is covered (I’ve tried to make it ridiculously clear, since I can’t be there to answer your questions directly while you read- although you can email me if you get stuck somewhere!)
If you’re taking high school calculus or the first college calculus course, this book would be a great study supplement for you. It includes lots of practice problems with answers and worked examples.
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