Children's books about math: Elementary--PreK to 2nd
This guide lists children's books in the Cubberley Education Library about mathematics, arithmetic, counting, and shapes.
Elementary--PreK to 2nd
Can You Find Pup? by Vincent X. Kirsch
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3611 .I7723 C36 2018Ages 4-8; K-Gr.2.
Tate likes to draw. He draws 10 cats on the couch, 10 bugs in the garden, and 10 birds in the park. Pup, who craves attention, is never in Tate's pictures. Pup is very upset, so he runs away to join the circus.Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker; Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA29 .J64 B43 2018Lexile measure 710; Ages 8-10; Gr.1-3
The bold story of Katherine Johnson, an African-American mathematician who worked for NASA during the space race and was depicted in the film Hidden Figures.Crash! boom! : a math tale by Robie H. Harris; Chris Chatterton (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3558 .A654 C73 2018Ages 2-5; PrK-K; Mathical Prize winner, 2019.
"Build, balance, count - question, estimate, measure - predict, crash, and build again with Elephant and a bucket full of blocks. Follow along as Elephant goes through the ups and downs of creating something new and finally celebrates the job of pride and success."Crescent moons and pointed minarets : a Muslim book of shapes by Hena Khan; Mehrdokht Amini (Ill.)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3611 .H345 C74 2018Lexile measure AD600L; Ages 3-5; K-Gr.2.
From a crescent moon to a square garden to an octagonal fountain, this breathtaking picture book celebrates the shapes--and traditions--of the Muslim world.The Girl with a Mind for Math by Julia Finley Mosca; Daniel Rieley (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3613 .O778687 G57 2018Ages 5-10; K-Gr.2.
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book 2019 Selection Meet Raye Montague--the hidden mastermind who made waves in the U.S. Navy! After touring a German submarine in the early 1940s, young Raye set her sights on becoming an engineer. Little did she know sexism and racial inequality would challenge that dream every step of the way, even keeping her greatest career accomplishment a secret for decades.Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly; Laura Freeman (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA27.5 .L44 2018Lexile measure 580; Ages 5-8; K-Gr.2.
Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award-nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to picture book readers! Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math...really good.Nothing Stopped Sophie by Cheryl Bardoe; Barbara McClintock (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA29 .G468 B37 2018Ages 6-9; Gr.1-3.
The true story of eighteenth-century mathematician Sophie Germain, who solved the unsolvable to achieve her dream. She eventually became the first woman to win a grand prize from France's prestigious Academy of Sciences for her formula, which laid the groundwork for much of modern architecture.Three times four with Annemarie : a TOON book by Ivan Brunetti
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PN6727 .B784 T47 2018Ages 3-7; PrK-Gr.2.
Annemarie and her clever classmates have to draw sets of twelve and use their imagination to come up with creative solutions. Young readers will delight in the counting game while learning the basics of multiplication.
2017
7 Ate 9 by Tara Lazar; Ross MacDonald (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3612 .A974 A615 2017ISBN: 9781484717790Lexile measure AD530L; Ages 5-7; K-Gr.3.
6 has a problem. Everyone knows that 7 is always after him. Word on the street is that 7 ate 9. If that's true, 6's days are numbered.10 gulab jamuns : counting with an Indian sweet treat by Sandhya Acharya
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3601 .C5 A615 2017Ages 4-7; PrK-Gr.1.
Guests are coming over for dinner and their Mamma has already cooked a lot. But Mamma has only made 10 Gulab Jamuns. Will they last until their guests come? It also includes some basic lessons in counting and an easy recipe to make those delicious Gulab Jamuns yourself.Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke; Angela Brooksbank (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR9387.9 .A823 B33 2017Lexile measure AD$60L; Ages 5-7; Mathical Award, 2018.
Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers.Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant by Songju Ma Daemicke
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3604 .A327 C36 2017Lexile measure 830; Ages 4-9; K-Gr.2.
How much does an elephant weigh? Six-year-old Cao Chong, the most famous child prodigy in Chinese history, faced just this problem! Chong watches as the prime minister's most trusted and learned advisors debate different methods. The principal of buoyancy and a little bit of creative thinking help this boy come up with a solution.I Know Numbers! by Taro Gomi
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA113 .G6613 2017Ages 3-5; PrK-K.
How do we love numbers? Let us count the ways: They're on street signs and bus stops, featured on phones, thermometers, chalkboards, and scales. They show the time and the date, and help us to measure distance, sizing, and so much more.Money Math by David A. Adler; Edward Miller (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA115 .A3655 2017Lexile measure 480L; Ages 5-8; Gr.1-3.
Amusing cartoon versions of American presidents guide children through this lively introduction to currency values and adding and subtracting money.Sheep Won't Sleep by Judy Cox; Nina Cuneo (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3603 .O915 S54 2017Lexile measure 620; Ages 4-7; Gr.1-3; Mathical award winner, 2018.
Counting sheep is supposed to help you sleep--but a room full of yaks, alpacas, and llamas would keep anyone awake in this counting book with a comical twist.Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3607 .H3395 S73 2017Ages 3-5.
One cat sleeps. Two cats play. Three cats stack! Cats of all shapes and sizes scamper, stretch and yawn across the pages of this adorable counting book.Triangle by Mac Barnett; Jon Klassen (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3602 .A83427 T75 2017Lexile measure AD310L; Ages 5-8; K-Gr.2.
After Triangle plays a trick on Square, Square plans to reciprocate but runs into trouble when he tries to enter the triangular doorway of Triangle's home.
2015-2016
ONE Very Big Bear by Alice Brière-Haquet; Olivier Philipponneau (Illustrator); Raphaële Enjary (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PQ2702 .R535 A6113 2016Ages 3-5, PrK- Gr.2; Mathical Prize winner, 2017.
As far as he can tell, Bear is the biggest thing around. He might even be a giant! It's not long before other, smaller animals set him straight in this charmingly illustrated book about counting and relative size.Absolutely One Thing by Lauren Child (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR6103 .H55 A62 2016Ages 3-5; PrK-Gr.1.
Count on Absolutely One Thing for a singularly funny look at simple math as encountered by Charlie and Lola. Sometimes, as a treat, Mom takes Charlie and Lola to the store and says they may choose one thing. "One thing to share?" Lola asks. No, it's one thing each, explains Charlie, or two actual things between two.Apples and Robins by Lucie Félix
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PQ2706 .E43 A6713 2016Ages 5-8.
All you need for apples . . . are circles and the colour red. In this extraordinary book, one thing transforms into another as each page turns-a circle becomes an apple, an oval becomes a bird, winter becomes spring.City Shapes by Diana Murray; Bryan Collier (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3613 .U7738 C58 2016Ages 4-7; PrK-Gr.2.
City Shapes is an ode to city life, depicted from the points of view of a young girl walking through her neighborhood and a bird flying high above, both spotting dazzling shapes in every scene they pass.Ducks Away! by Mem Fox; Judy Horacek (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR9619.3 .F66 D8 2016Lexile AD480L; Ages 3–5; Children's Book of the Year Award, 2017, Notable Book, Early Childhood.
Count along with Mother Duck as her ducklings try to waddle across the bridge. When a sudden gust of wind sweeps one of Mother Duck's ducklings into the river, she doesn't know what to do.Max's Math by Kate Banks; Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3552 .A4859 M39 2015Ages 4-7; K-Gr.2.
Max and his two brothers hop into a car and go looking for problems they can solve. They cruise down highway number 4 on their way to Shapeville, but they see an abandoned number along the way. Is it a 6? Is it a 9? And what's it doing on the side of the road?Octopuses One to Ten by Ellen Jackson; Robin Page (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA113 .J32 2016Lexile measure AD860L; Ages 5-7; Gr.1-3; Outstanding science trade books, 2017
Dive into this fascinating counting journey through the amazing and mysterious world of octopuses. This intriguing exploration of octopuses goes through numbers one to ten, with a snappy rhyme and fascinating octopus facts for each number.
2010-2014
Circle, Square, Moose by Kelly Bingham; Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3602 .I537 C57 2014Ages 3-7; Gr.K-2.
Moose infiltrates a book about shapes (because he loves shapes, naturally) and it is up to his best friend, Zebra, to restore order and save the day.Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett; Kevin Cornell (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3602 .A83427 C68 2013Ages 5-8.
Kids will giggle as they count all the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.Lifetime by Lola M. Schaefer; Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QH491 .S34 2013 FLexile measure AD860L; Ages 4-8; Prk-gr.2
In one lifetime, a caribou will shed 10 sets of antlers, a woodpecker will drill 30 roosting holes, a giraffe will wear 200 spots, a seahorse will birth 1,000 babies. Count each one and many more while learning about the wondrous things that can happen in just one lifetime.One gorilla : a counting book by Anthony Browne
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA113 .B767 2013 FAges 3-7, gr. PreK-2.
Primo primate artist Anthony Browne is at the top of his form with a simple -- and simply fascinating -- array of creatures for kids to count.Round Is a Tortilla by Roseanne Greenfield Thong; John Parra (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3620 .H747 R686 2013Ages 2-5.
In this lively picture book, children discover a world of shapes all around them: rectangles are ice-cream carts and stone metates, triangles are slices of watermelon and quesadillas.Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin; James Dean (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3612 .I886 P48 2012Lexile measure 350; Ages 4-7; Gr. PreK-1.
Count down with Pete in this rocking story that makes counting fun! Pete the Cat is wearing his favorite shirt--the one with the four totally groovy buttons.The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular! by Ethan Long (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA141 .L74 2012Ages 4-6, gr. gr. PreK-2.
The Wing Wing brothers put on a show that illustrates how to compare numbers, add, and subtract.One Two That's My Shoe! by Alison Murray (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3613 .U7565 O54 2011Ages 2-6, gr. PreK-K.
When a mischievous puppy runs off with his owner's shoe, it's a race from one to ten to get it back again!Ten Little Puppies/Diez Perritos by Alma Flor Ada; Ulises Wensell (Illustrator); F. Isabel Campoy
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3551 .D22 T46 2011Ages 5-7.
Oh, I had ten little puppies, Ten little puppies had I . . . Count along in Spanish and English as each one of the ten adorable puppies disappears from the pages.The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3607 .R3867 R33 2010Ages 2-4.
In Fibonacci's Field, Lonely and Chalk Rabbit meet, snuggle together, and then spend a year trying to cope with their ever-increasing brood and the seasonal changes that bring a new challenge each month. Presented in calendar format with one pop-up illustration and other special features.What's the Difference? by Suzanne Slade; Joan Waites (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QL83 .S52 2010Lexile Measure 960; Book level 5; Ages 4-8; Gr.Prk-3
You can celebrate the huge difference caring people make for endangered animals while you practice subtraction skills. Slade presents a new subtraction problem in each clever rhyming verse. The colorful watercolors include realistic animals set in lush spreads by illustrator, Joan Waites.
2005-2009
Christopher Counting by Valeri Gorbachev (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3557 .O634 C49 2008Ages 5-8.
Christopher loves counting. The fish in his aquarium, the petals on flowers, the toys in his toy box - Christopher Rabbit counts them all! He loves counting so much, he tries to count everything - even the stars in the sky!One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3619 .E35 O54 2008Ages 5-9.
This die-cut book explores two (!) concepts: counting and words-within-words, while also telling a satisfying story about the power of art and imagination in one child's life.1, 2, Buckle My Shoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3558 .I528 A613 2008Ages 3-6.
A child learns to count with the help of a classic nursery rhyme.Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose by Leo Dillon; Diane Dillon
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3554 .I427 M68 2007Ages 5-7.
The numbers are on the loose--hiding and dancing, skipping and laughing through the rhymes of Mother Goose! It's a good thing Caldecott Medal-winning artists Leo and Diane Dillon have helped gather up all these mischievous numbers in a stunning celebration of counting, rhymes, and imagination.Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh; Jim Arnosky
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3573 .A467 M68 2007Book level 1.7; Ages 2-7, gr. PreK-K.
What can you make with one oval, two circles, and eight triangles? Just ask three clever mice--who even find a funny way to trick a sneaky cat.One is a snail, ten is a crab : a counting by feet book by April Pulley Sayre; Jeff Sayre; Randy Cecil (Ill.)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA113 .S367 2006Lexile measure 710; Ages 5-8.
If one is a snail and two is a person, we must be counting by feet! Just follow the sign to the beach, where a bunch of fun-loving crabs, lounging dogs, gleeful insects, and bewildered-looking snails obligingly offer their feet for counting in a number of silly, surprising combinations -- from one to one hundred!365 Penguins by Joëlle Jolivet (Illustrator); Jean-Luc Fromental
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PQ2666 .R584 A61513 2006 FBook level 3.1; Ages 5-10, gr. K-4.
The family in 365 Penguins finds a penguin mysteriously delivered to their door every day for a year. At first they're cute, but with every passing day, the penguins pile up along with the family's problems. Feeding, cleaning, and housing the penguins becomes a monumental task. Bright, striking illustrations with lots of opportunity for counting.
2000-2004
Just a minute : a trickster tale and counting book by Yuyi Morales
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3613 .O68 J87 2003Guided Reading Level G; Lexile 540; grade level 2.4; gr. K-2
In this original trickster tale, Senor Calavera arrives unexpectedly at Grandma Beetle's door. He requests that she leave with him right away. "Just a minute," Grandma Beetle tells him. She still has one house to sweep, two pots of tea to boil, three pounds of corn to make into tortillas -- and that's just the start! Using both Spanish and English words to tally the party preparations, Grandma Beetle cleverly delays her trip and spends her birthday with a table full of grandchildren and her surprise guest.One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis (Illustrator); Susan Kathleen Hartung (Illustrator); Celeste Mannis (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3613 .A566 O54 2002Guided Reading Level K; Lexile measurement Nonprose; Ages 4-10; Grade level 2.5
A young girl makes her way slowly through a Japanese garden where she spots one leaf, two carved temple dogs, three miniature bonsai, and four startled birds. This counting book introduces the youngest readers to the beauty and hidden secrets of a Japanese garden. It also introduces haiku, with ten poems that are simple and straightforward.Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Ann Love; Tina Freeman
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR6106 .R43 T46 2001Ages 1-3.
All children love this traditional rhyme and singing along will help to develop number skills.Round Is a Mooncake by Roseanne Greenfield Thong; Grace Lin (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3620 .H747 R68 2000Book level 2.9; Ages 2-6, gr. K-2.
A little girl's neighborhood becomes a discovery ground of things round, square and rectangular. Many of the objects are Asian in origin, other universal: round rice bowls and a found pebble, square dim sum and pizza boxes, rectangular Chinese lace and very special pencil case.1 Is One by Tasha Tudor (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3539 .U335 A612 2000Gr. PreK-2.
Tasha Tudor teaches young readers to count to twenty in this beautifully illustrated, Caldecott Honor-winning picture book.Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin by Lloyd Moss; Marjorie Priceman (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3563 .O88459 Z56 2000Grade level 3.5; gr. K-2.
A Caldecott Honor book that is the perfect introduction to musical instruments and a counting book that redefines the genre. When this book begins, the trombone is playing all by itself. But soon a trumpet makes a duet, a french horn a trio, and so on until the entire orchestra is assembled on stage.
Before 2000
Circus Shapes by Stuart J. Murphy; Ed Miller
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3563 .U76193 C57 1998Guided Reading Level: H; Lexile measure 140; Ages 2-5
Circus animals and performers getting ready for a show form basic geometric shapes.Let's Paint a Rainbow by Eric Carle (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3553 .A6889 L48 1998Guided reading level G; grade level 1.7; gr. K-2.
While introducing children to the concepts of colors and counting by twos, a vibrant rainbow gradually appears when children turn the pages of this book.When a Line Bends ... a Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene; James Kaczman (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3607 .R4527 W48 1997Ages 5-11.
A line is thin. A line is narrow -- curved like a worm, straight as an arrow. Squares, circles, triangles, and many more shapes abound in this lively book.1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3553 .A6889 A613 1996 TAges 3-7.
This board book combines simple counting with Carle's unusual illustrations of animals.The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds; BookSource Staff (Compiled by)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA445 .D63 1996Ages 3-5.
Rhymes and colorful illustrations reveal how simple shapes come together to form houses, boats, and lots of other things in the world.The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns; Gordon Silveria (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3552 .U732468 G74 1994Ages 5-10.
In this introduction to polygons, a triangle convinces a shapeshifter to make him a quadrilateral and later a pentagon, but discovers that where angles and sides are concerned, more isn't always better.Counting on Frank by Rod Clement
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA113 .C53 1991Ages 5-10.
"If Frank were a humpback whale, however, only ten would fit into our entire house. I asked Dad about this, and he said they would get in the way of the television." Such funny scenarios throughout this beloved book teach children about simple math concepts.What Comes in 2's, 3's and 4's? by Suzanne Aker; Bernie Karlin (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA113 .A52 1990Guided Reading Level: I; Lexile measure 470, grade level 1.7; gr. K-2
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.Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » QA447 .H63 1986Ages 2-6, PreK-2.
Whenever you are -- inside or outside -- there are shapes to discover. And with Tana Hoban's help you will begin to see them. Look around. How many circles, squares, stars, triangles, hearts, and rectangles can you see? They are everywhere!Moja Means One by Muriel L. Feelings; Tom Feelings (Artist)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3556 .E34 M65 1971Gr.K-3; Caldecott Honor Book 1972.
The sights and sounds of East Africa come alive in this charming counting book.
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