This is why I think it works for him. His dyslexic mind and strong verbal skills make him great at storing and sorting narratives. His mind is below average in its ability to store rote information (like math facts).
This is how it works:
Each number is a thing or person. 4 is a chair, 9 is a tree, 6 is the 6th grade class, 7 is Ms. Week, 3 is a butterfly and 8 is Ms. Snowman. The illustrations are the numbers dressed up looking like the characters or thing. In part 2 we meet Mr. Snowman and Mr. Week for 8x8 and 7x7.
For 4x7 the story is "Ms. Week sat in a chair while she fished. She caught two boots and eight trout."
They first quiz on just knowing the characters. Just a call out the answer to the TV style quiz. Then show the little cartoons. Then they reduce the cartoon to a picture equation so it a chair looking 4 times a lady looking 7. Then it is a plain 4x7. Then it is a 28 / lady looking 7 and so forth.
I was really surprised he could do the division part. But for him it is "28 and Ms. Week, who is missing? Fishing on the chair! Four!"
You'd think this way would be more difficult. There is more to remember but the narratives give him the hooks to remember.
It is a two disk set. One to watch and one for printables.
If someone had told me that we'd spend last night doing multiplication and division flash cards and that DS would be getting them all correct while laughing and smiling, I would've said they were crazy.
Generally he'd be more likely to bury the flash cards in the yard and call it a decomposition experiment.
He understands the concepts of multiplication and division. He just hasn't been able to memorize the facts until now.
Pem, I'd give it a try. I think it might work for her.
The only thing I'd say might be an issue is if a kid is sensitive to something seeming babyish. The characters have a BOB book like quality. DS didn't mind or mention it. He was just so happy to finally be able to remember the facts. I saw a few reviewers mention the babyish complaint on Amazon.
