The Numberjacks are some of the few heros I’ve found, aimed at children, that are numerate. In a lot of writing the people who enjoy Maths are at best scatty and eccentric and at worst downright unsociable.

Is this because most writers create heros that are partly semi-autobiographical or at least have opinions and qualities to which the writer can relate? With most people either favouring Mathematical subjects or Literate subjects. The vast majority of people who enjoyed Maths and Science didn’t shine at writing and people who liked writing were only too glad to drop anything to do with Science and Maths as soon as they could?

All that left numerate children with books and television characters that portray their subjects (if they are mentioned at all) as being strange and undesirable and giving them a raft of alternative role models with skills and aspirations with which they do not relate. They are not inspired by these characters so they are even less inclined to read.

Then bouncing onto our screens come the Numberjacks. They are enthused by numbers, shape, size, time… They spend their spare time counting, playing with shapes, adding, taking, multiplying, subtracting and what can’t they do with their buddy blocks?

What characters are there in children’s literature with that enthusiasm and flair for numerate subjects? Are there any series with heros that would understand and empathise my daughter’s “Number Fun” and my son’s fascination with numbers?