Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Children's Books About Math

I think that we are never to old to be read to - nor too old to enjoy children's books! Below is a list I learned about through a wonderful math teacher I used to work with who is also a great friend. She said that she was allergic to math and that math did not like her until a teacher in college helped unlock her math brain! Now her students rave about how great she is. I love her story because it reminds me there is always hope for us even when we think we are doomed.

Check this list out! I think there is something for all students. It is organized by math concept (counting, fractions, measurement, probability, ratios and more). Martha Eberhart compiled it and it is posted on the website for the University of Minnesota Duluth.




Area & Perimeter

Burns, Marilyn. (1997). Spaghetti and meatballs for all! : a mathematical story. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC B967SP

The seating for a family reunion gets complicated as people rearrange the tables and chairs to seat additional guests.


Classification Sorting

Reid, Margarette S. (1990). The button box. New York : Dutton Children's Books. PRIM-FIC R357BU

A child examines the many different buttons in Grandma's button box.

Keenan, Sheila. (1997). More or less a mess! New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC K267MO

A little girl uses sorting and classifying skills to tackle the huge mess in her room. Includes related activities and games.

Cannon, Janell. (1993). Stellaluna. San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. PRIM-FIC C2265ST

After she falls headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother.




Counting

Anno, Mitsumasa. (1977, c1975). Anno's Counting book. New York : Crowell. PRIM-FIC A6156ACO

A counting book depicting the growth in a village and surrounding countryside during twelve months.

Anno, Mitsumasa. (1995). Anno's magic seeds. New York : Philomel Books. 513.4 A6156F

The reader is asked to perform a series of mathematical operations integrated into the story of a lazy man who plants magic seeds and reaps an increasingly abundant harvest.

Berlitz Schools of Languages of America. (1963). Berlitz French alphabet and numbers for children. New York, Grosset & Dunlap. 440 B515B

Attempts to develop a child's awareness of foreign languages with the simple phonetics developed by the Berlitz schools.

Giganti, Paul. (1988). How many snails? : a counting book. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC G4593H

A young child takes walks to different places and wonders about the amount and variety of things seen on the way.

Fehr, Howard F. (1964). If you can count to 10 ... New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston. PRIM-FIC F2967IF

Counting games.

Testa, Fulvio. (1982). If you take a pencil. New York : Dial Press. PRIM-FIC T3418if

Describes how a pencil may be used to draw cats, birds, fingers, orange trees, and other objects, in quantities from two to twelve, interrelated in a fanciful fashion.

Friedman, Aileen. (1994). The king's commissioners. New York: Scholastic. PRIM-FIC F9114KI

While trying to keep track of his many royal commissioners, the kind learns some new ways of counting.

Martin, Bill. (1987). Knots on a counting rope. New York : H. Holt. PRIM-FIC M379KN

A grandfather and his blind grandson, Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses, reminisce about the young boy's birth, his first horse, and an exciting horse race.

Feelings, Muriel L. (1971). Moja means one; Swahili counting book. New York : Dial Press. 390 F295MO

The numbers one through ten in Swahili accompany two-page illustrations of various aspects of East African life.

Walsh, Ellen Stoll. (1991). Mouse count. San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. PRIM-FIC W2243MN

Ten mice outsmart a hungry snake.

Morozumi, Atusko. (1990). One gorilla : a counting book. New York : Farrar, Straus & Giroux. PRIM-FIC M871ON

Someone is counting things they see and like, and one gorilla.

Hutchins, Pat. (1982). 1 hunter. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC H9763ON

One hunter walks through the forest observed first by two elephants, then by three giraffes, etc.


Bayley, Nicola. (1977). One old Oxford ox. New York : Atheneum. PRIM-FIC B3583on

The numbers from one to twelve are presented by dignified animals and captioned by tongue-twisters.

Nikola-Lisa, W. (1991). 1, 2, 3 Thanksgiving! Morton Grove, Ill. : A. Whitman. 513 N693o

A Thanksgiving counting book depicting the numbers one through ten through scenes of the holiday.

Beaton, Clare. (1999). One moose, twenty mice. New York, NY : Barefoot Books. PRIM-FIC B3693on

Count your way from one through twenty and find the cat hiding in every scene in this felt-art picture book.

Harshman, Marc. (1993). Only one. New York: Cobblehill Books/Dutton. 513.2 H324O

At a country fair there are five hundred seeds in one pumpkin, ten cents in one dime, eight horses on one merry-go-round, four wheels on one wagon, and so on.

Keats, Ezra Jack. (1972, c1971). Over in the meadow. New York, Four Winds Press. PRIM-FIC O963ov

An old nursery poem introduces animals and their young and the numbers one through ten.

Carle, Eric. (1999). Rooster's off to see the world. New YORK, N.Y. : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. PRIM-FIC C278RO

A simple introduction to the meaning of numbers and sets as a rooster, on his way to see the world, is joined by fourteen animals along the way.

De Regniers, Beatrice Schenk. (1985). So many cats! New York : Clarion Books. PRIM-FIC D4312so

Counting verses explain how a family ended up with a dozen cats.

Chwast, Seymour. (1971). Still another number book. New York : McGraw-Hill. PRIM-FIC C5648st

Various objects illustrate the concept of numbers one through ten.

Crews, Donald. (1986). Ten black dots. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC C9278TE

A counting book which shows what can be done with ten black dots--one can make a sun, two a fox's eyes, or eight the wheels of a train.

Bang, Molly. (1983). Ten, nine, eight. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC B216TE

Numbers one through ten are part of this lullaby which observes the room of a little girl going to bed.

Hoban, Tana. (1987). 26 letters and 99 cents. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC H6816tw

Color photographs of letters, numbers, coins, and common objects introduce the alphabet, coinage, and the counting system.

Aker, Suzanne. (1990). What comes in 2's, 3's, & 4's? New York : Aladdin Paperbacks. 513.5 A314W

Introduces the numbers two, three, and four by enumerating the ways in which they occur in everyday life, from your two eyes and two arms to the four season of the year.

Hawkins, Colin. (1990). When I was one. London, England ; New York, N.Y., USA : Viking. PRIM-FIC H3933WH

Introduces the numbers from one to ten as two young children try to outdo each other with the number of rambunctious animals with which they plan to celebrate each successive birthday.

Kitamura, Satoshi. (1986). When sheep cannot sleep, the counting book.New York : Farrar Straus Giroux. PRIM-FIC K622WH

Counting book

Limmer, Milly Jane. (1991). Where will you swim tonight? Niles, Ill. : A. Whitman. PRIM-FIC L7344wh

A bathtime counting book in which a girl grows a tail and swims along with one knobby seahorse, two smooth dolphins, and other sea creatures up to the number ten.

Tafuri, Nancy. (1986). Who's counting. New York : Greenwillow Books. 513 T124w

Text and illustrations of a variety of animals introduce the numbers one through ten.




Fractions

Anno, Mitsumasa. (1983). Anno’s mysterious multiplying jar. New York, NY : Philomel Books. 512.7 A615a

Simple text and pictures introduce the mathematical concept of factorials.

McMillan, Bruce. (1991). Eating fractions. New York : Scholastic. 513.2 M1674E

Food is cut into halves, quarters, and thirds to illustrate how parts make a whole. Simple recipes included.

Leedy, Loreen. (1994). Fraction action. New York : Holiday House. 513.2 L484F

Miss Prime and her animal students explore fractions by finding many examples in the world around them.

Murhy, Stuart J. (1996). Give me half! New York, NY : HarperCollins Publishers. 513.2 M978G

Introduces the concept of halves using a simple rhyming story about a brother and sister who do not want to share their food.

Pinczes, Elinor J. (2001). Inchworm and a half. Boston, Mass. : Houghton Mifflin Co. PRIM-FIC P6479in

Several small worms use their varying lengths to measure the vegetables in a garden.

Meltzer Kleinhenz, Sydnie. (1997). More for me. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC M5288 MO

When a little boy insists he wants more of everything served to him for breakfast, his sister obliges by rearranging what he has. Includes section with related activities.




General

Slobodkina, Esphyr. (1947). Caps for sale; a tale of a peddler, some monkeys and their monkey business. New York : W. R. Scott. PRIM-FIC S6343cap

A band of mischievous monkeys steals every one of a peddler's caps while he takes a nap under a tree.

Williams, Vera B. (1986). Cherries and cherry pits. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC W7278CHE

Bidemmi draws pictures and tells stories about cherries.

Scieszka, Jon. (1995). Math curse. New York, N.Y. : Viking. PRIM-FIC S4163MA

When the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one student acquires a math anxiety which becomes a real curse.

Axelrod, Amy. (1997). Pigs in the pantry : fun with math and cooking. New York, N.Y. : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. PRIM-FIC A969PF

Mr. Pig and the piglets try to cook Mrs. Pigs favorite dish to cheer her up when she's sick. Includes a recipe for chili.

Axelrod, Amy. (1996). Pigs on a blanket. New York, NT : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. PRIM-FIC A969P

Because the Pig family has so many delays in getting to the beach, they are in for a big disappointment when they're finally ready to ride the waves.


Geometry

Friedman, Aileen. (1994). A cloak for the dreamer. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC F9114CL

When a tailor asks each of his three sons to make a cloak for the Archduke, the third son's design reveals his desire to travel the world rather than follow his father's footsteps.

Carle, Eric. (1992). Draw me a star. New York : Philomel Books. PRIM-FIC C278DR

An artist's drawing for a star begins the creation of an entire universe around him as each successive pictured object requests that he draw more.

Tompert, Ann. (1990). Grandfather Tang's story. New York : Crown Publishers. PRIM-FIC T6623gr

Grandfather tells a story about shape-changing fox fairies who try to best each other until a hunter brings danger to both of them.

Burns, Marilyn. (1994). The greedy triangle. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC B967GR

Dissatisfied with its shape, a triangle keeps asking the local shape shifter to add more lines and angles until it doesn't know which side is up.

Axelrod, Amy. (1998). Pigs on the ball : fun with math and sports. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. PRIM-FIC A969PHE

The Pig family visits a miniature golf course and learns about shapes, angles, and geometry.

Hopkinson, Deborah. (1994). Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York : Knopf. PRIM FIC H797S

A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern which guides her to freedom in the north.

Maccarone, Grace. (1997). Three pigs, one wolf, and seven magic shapes. New York : Scholastic. PRIM FIC M123 TH

Tells the story of three pigs who acquire some magic shapes, which they use for various purposes, some smart and some not so smart. Includes a section with related activities.




Measurement

Anno, Mitsumasa. (1987-1989). Anno's math games. New York : Philomel Books. 793.7 A615a

Picture puzzles, games, and simple activities introduce the mathematical concepts of multiplication, sequence and ordinal numbering, measurement, and direction.

Clement, Rod. (1991). Counting on Frank. Milwaukee : G. Stevens Children's Books. 513.5 C626C

A boy and his dog present amusing counting, size comparison, and mathematical facts.

Ling, Bettina. (1997). The fattest, tallest, biggest snowman ever. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC L755 FA

Two children use non-standard measurements, such as paper clips, sticks, and their arms, to determine who has built the biggest snowman. Includes measurement activities and games.

Myller, Rolf. (1962). How big is a foot? New York : Atheneum. PPRIM-FIC M9974HO

Thrown in jail because the bed he made for the Queen is too small, an apprentice comes up with a more accurate way of measuring size.

Adler, David A. (1999). How tall, how short, how far away. New York : Holiday House. 530.8 A237

Introduces several measuring systems such as the Egyptian system, the inch-pound system, and the metric system.

Lionni, Leo. (1960). Inch by inch. New York : I. Obolensky. PRIM-FIC L763IN

To keep from being eaten, an inchworm measures a robin's tail, a flamingo's neck, a toucan's beak, a heron's legs, and a nightingale's song.

Wells, Robert E. (1993). Is a blue whale the biggest thing there is? Morton Grove, Ill. : A. Whitman. 530.8 W455I

Illustrates the concept of big, bigger, and biggest by comparing the physical measurements of such large things as a blue whale, a mountain, a star, and the universe.

Wells, Robert E. (1995). What's smaller than a pygmy shrew? Morton Grove, Ill.: A. Whitman. 539 W455W

A thought-proving journey from the mighty pygmy shrew to microorganisms and molecules.

Allen, Pamela. (1983). Who sank the boat? New York : Coward-McCann. PRIM-FIC A4284WH

The reader is invited to guess who causes the boat to sink when five animal friends of varying sizes decide to go for a row.


Money

Williams, Vera B. (1982). A chair for my mother. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC W7278CHA

A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire. (Caldecott Honor Book, 1983)

Zimelman, Nathan. (1992). How the second grade got $8,205.50 to visit the Statue of Liberty. Morton Grove, Ill. : A. Whitman. PRIM-FIC Z71H

Chronicles the triumphs and setbacks of the second grade as they try a variety of schemes to raise money for a trip to the Statue of Liberty.

Schwartz, David M. (1989). If you made a million. New York : Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. 332.024 S299i

Describes the various forms which money can take, including coins, paper money, and personal checks, and how it can be used to make purchases, pay off loans, or build interest in the bank.

Nagel, Karen Berman. (1996). The lunch line. New York : Scholastic Inc. PRIM-FIC N1475 LU

In the school cafeteria at lunchtime, Kim eyes all the tasty food and tries to figure out what she can buy with her dollar.

Axelrod Amy. (1994). Pigs will be pigs. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. PRIM-FIC A969PW

The hungry Pig family learns about money and buying power as they turn the house upside down looking for enough money to buy dinner at the local restaurant.


Numbers

Wells, Robert E. (2000). Can you count to a googol? Morton Grove, Ill. : Albert Whitman. 513.5 W455C

Introduces the concepts of very large numbers, up to a googol, and multiples of ten.

Rocklin, Joanne. (1997). The case of the missing birthday party. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC R6834 CA

Liz the Whiz & Co. help a neighbor find her way to a birthday party by using their knowledge of place value.

Base, Graeme. (1989). The eleventh hour : a curious mystery. New York : Abrams. INTR-FIC B2994EL

An elephant's eleventh birthday party is marked by eleven games preceding the banquet to be eaten at the eleventh hour; but when the time to eat arrives, the birthday feast has disappeared. The reader is invited to guess the thief.

Losi, Carol A. (1997). The 512 ants on Sullivan Street. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC L8794 FI

In this rhyming, cumulative story, the number of ants doubles each time they take a new treat from a picnic lunch.

Burns, Marilyn. (1996). How many feet? How many tails? : a book of math riddles. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC B967 HO

As two children take a walk with their grandfather, they use their counting skills to help answer a series of animal riddles. Includes related activities.

Giganti, Paul. (1988). How many snails? : a counting book. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC G4593H

A young child takes walks to different places and wonders about the amount and variety of things seen on the way.

McKissack, Pat. (1991). A million fish-- more or less. New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House. PRIM-FIC M1584MIL

A boy learns that the truth is often stretched on the Bayou Clapateaux, and gets the chance to tell his own version of a bayou tale when he goes fishing.

Gág, Wanda. (1928). Millions of cats. New York : Coward-McCann, Inc. PRIM-FIC G132M

How can an old man and his wife select one cat from a choice of millions and trillions?

Maccarone, Grace. (1998). Monster math picnic. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC M123 MMP

The number of monsters engaged in various activities at a picnic always adds up to ten. Includes related activities.

Juster, Norton. (1961).The phantom tollbooth. New York : Epstein & Carrol; a distributed by Random House. INTR-FIC J96PH

A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance of words and numbers provides a cure for his boredom.

Moore, Inga. (1991). Six-dinner Sid. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. PRIM-FIC M8223SI

Sid the cat plays the pet of six different owners on Aristole Street so he can get six dinners every night.

Merriam, Eve. (1993). 12 ways to get to 11. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 513.2 M568T

Uses ordinary experiences to present twelve combinations of numbers that add up to eleven. Example: At the circus, six peanut shells and five pieces of popcorn.

Aker, Suzanne. (1990). What comes in 2's, 3's, & 4's? New York : Aladdin Paperbacks. 513.5 A314W

Introduces the numbers two, three, and four by enumerating the ways in which they occur in everyday life, from your two eyes and two arms to the four seasons of the year.



Operations

Neuschwander, Cindy. (1998). Amanda Bean's amazing dream : a mathematical story. New York : Scholastic Press. PRIM-FIC N495AM

Amanda loves to count everything, but not until she has an amazing dream does she finally realize that being able to multiply will help her count things faster.

Anno, Mitsumasa. (1995). Anno's magic seeds. New York : Philomel Books. 513.4 A6156F

The reader is asked to perform a series of mathematical operations integrated into the story of a lazy man who plants magic seeds and reaps an increasingly abundant harvest.

Anno, Mitsumasa. (1987-1989). Anno's math games. New York : Philomel Books. 793.7 A615a

Picture puzzles, games, and simple activities introduce the mathematical concepts of multiplication, sequence and ordinal numbering, measurement, and direction.

Anno, Mitsumasa. (1983). Anno’s mysterious multiplying jar. New York, NY : Philomel Books. 512.7 A615a

Simple text and pictures introduce the mathematical concept of factorials.

Hutchins, Pat. (1986). The doorbell rang. New York : Greenwillow Books. PRIM-FIC H9763DOO

Each time the doorbell rings, there are more people who have come to share Ma's wonderful cookies.

Rocklin, Joanne. (1997). One hungry cat. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC R6834 ON

Tom the cat tries to evenly divide the snacks he has baked for himself and two friends, but after gobbling up a few treats, Tom is faced with a new division problem. Includes division activities.

Pinczes, Elinor J. (1993). One hundred hungry ants. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. PRIM-FIC R6834 ON

One hundred hungry ants head towards a picnic to get yummies for their tummies, but stops to change their line formation, showing different divisions of one hundred, cause them to lose both time and food in the end.

Pinczes, Elinor J. (1995). A remainder of one. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. PRIM-FIC P647RE

When the queen of the bugs demands that her army march in even lines, Private Joe divides the marchers into more and more lines so that he will not be left out of the parade.




Probability

Van Allsburg, Chris. (1981). Jumanji. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Co. PRIM-FIC V217J

Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mystical jungle adventure bored game.

Holtzman, Caren. (1997). No fair! New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC H7585NO

Two children play several games of chance trying to figure out what is mathematically fair.

Axelrod, Amy. (1997). Pigs at odds : fun with math and games. New York : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. PRIM-FIC A969PC

While trying their luck at various games at the county fair, members of the Pig family find out what the odds are that they will go home as winners. Includes an explanation of odds and probability.

Stamper, Judith Bauer. (1998). Tic-tac-toe : three in a row. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC S7836 TI

A boy learns how to play tic-tac-toe and improves his skill playing with a friend. Includes related activities.




Ratios

Clement, Rod. (1991). Counting on Frank. Milwaukee : G. Stevens Children's Books. 513.5 C626C

A boy and his dog present amusing counting, size comparison, and mathematical facts.


Time

Hutchins, Pat. (1994). Clocks and more clocks. New York : Aladdin Books ; Toronto : Mexwell Macmillan Canada ; New York : Maxwell Macmillan International. PRIM-FIC H9763CL

Not one of Mr. Higgins' four clocks kept the correct time until the Clockmaster assured him they were all correct.

Carle, Eric. (1997). The grouchy ladybug. New York : T.Y. Crowell Co. PRIM-FIC C278G

A grouchy ladybug, looking for a fight, challenges everyone everyone she meets regardless of their size or strength.

Slater, Teddy. (1996). Just a minute! New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC S6318 JU

A young boy learns how important it is to know just how long a minute is. Includes a section with related activities.

Maccarone, Grace. (1997). Monster math school time. New York : Scholastic. PRIM-FIC M123 MMS

From the time they get up at seven in the morning until they go to bed at eight o'clock at night, monsters spend a busy day, especially at school. Includes related activities.

Disclaimer: "The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of Martha Eberhart. The contents of the page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota."

Modified: 12/06 (w3c)

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