Math is more fun when it involves counting bubbles and singing with a jolly guy named "Mr. Billy."

Thanks to librarian Dawn Foster, a $1,200 grant from the Library Services and Technology Act will make math literacy a real concept at the Portage Public Library.

The grants made possible by the LSTA provide seed money for improving library services throughout the United States. The program is designed to ensure that everyone can have the information resources needed for daily living and lifelong learning, according to the Department of Public Instruction.

The funding was used to purchase and create mathematics kits available for checkout at the library, and remaining money was used to bring in a children's performer known as Mr. Billy, who will perform at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Bidwell Meeting Room at the Portage Public Library.

"We're trying to encourage math literacy, and Mr. Billy does it through humor and music, which is an appealing way to get them excited about math," Foster said. "We will also showcase these math kits and videos that they can check out."

Foster collaborated with a teacher in the Portage School District to ensure that the kits were in line with the math curriculum for ages kindergarten through second grade.

"Fractions are a very hard concept, and I got these play pizzas where you put together different sections of it to make an eighth or a quarter," Foster said. "One of the kits is a cookie jar, and you count the cookies and then count the candies on the cookies. That's how children learn."

Mr. Billy is William Grisack III, a children's musical performer who has toured around the United States and Canada. Originally from Atlantic City, N.J., Grisack still retains an accent.

"I'm living my dream. I write my own songs. I always wanted a captive audience, and I wanted to be a rock star," said Grisack, now of De Pere.

Grisack's father, "Billy Dale," played jazz drums, and his grandfather, "Billy King," played Big Band music.

Grisack toured with a rock 'n' roll band for years, and when health issues halted his career, fate took the wheel.

"My son took me to show-and-tell in kindergarten and I played (guitar) for the class, and the teacher told me I should do it professionally," Grisack, 47, said.

Grisack has recorded seven CDs and does up to 400 performances a year, he said. And with help from his son and daughter, he writes at least one song a day around educational themes such as reading and writing.

Still recovering from surgery on both hands, Grisack will not be able to play his ever-present guitar, but he will be joined in Portage by his son "Wil Power" (William Grisack IV) playing the drums, and friend Randy Cisco of a blues duo called Little Cisco.

For a quiet library, the volume level will be high Tuesday night.

"It's going to be loud with very high energy," Foster said. "He is really multi-talented. He is very well-known for his literacy workshops, and he has an outstanding reputation."

The performance will include songs about shapes, colors, sorting and problem-solving, Grisack said. The event is recommended for families with children up to 12 years old, Foster said, and there will be prizes and other math activities.

If you go

What: "1-2-3, Math, Music and Me!"

Who: National children's educational performer "Mr. Billy"

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Portage Public Library in the Bidwell Meeting Room.

Why: To teach math concepts to children in a fun environment

How: The presentation was made possible through a math literacy grant.

For more information, contact Dawn Foster at 742-4959, or visit www.misterbilly.com.

jmccoy@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3519