Bookworm  
Bookworm for Kids

   
Math

These math books are recommended for parents to use at home as well as for classroom use by teachers. All make good read-alouds and children enjoy re-reading the books independently while enjoying the illustrations. Many can be used in the classroom to introduce concepts or units.


My BusMy Bus
by Byron Barton
Ages 4–8
This bus driver on this colorful bus picks up dogs and cats waiting at the bus stops: one dog, two cats, etc. At various destinations — the airport, the harbor, the train station — animals depart the bus, providing multiple opportunities to add, subtract, and examine sets along the way.

ChessboardThe King’s Chessboard
by David Birch
Ages 6–13
Number
The power of doubling for 2nd–6th grade students.

WordThe $1.00 Word Riddle Book
by Marilyn Burns
Ages 8–12
Number
Riddles give clues for finding words worth $1.00 using a simple code: a=1¢, b=2¢, etc.

TriangleThe Greedy Triangle
by Marilyn Burns
Ages 5–9
Geometry
Colorful introduction to geometric shapes for K–3rd grade students.

SpaghettiSpaghetti and Meatballs for All!
by Marilyn Burns
Ages 6–10
Area & Perimeter
Clever introduction to area and perimeter concepts for 2nd–4th grade students.

Mysterious PatternsMysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature
by Sarah C. Campbell
Ages 5–7
This elegant book simply explains the concepts of fractals with pictures from nature illustrating that every fractal shape has smaller parts that look like the whole shape. Color photograph encourage young readers to look more closely at natural objects while appreciating their intricate shapes.

FrankCounting on Frank
by Rod Clement
Ages 4–8
5–10
Measurement
Amusing size and measurement examples for 1st–4th grade students.

RiceThe King’s Chessboard
by Demi
Ages 5–10
Number
The power of doubling for 1st–4th grade students.

CloakA Cloak for the Dreamer
by Aileen Friedman
Ages 5–9
Geometry
Introduction to the relationship between geometric shapes for Kinder–4th grade students.

CommissionerThe King’s Commissioners
by Aileen Friedman
Ages7–12
Multiplication
Colorful presentation of the connection between counting and multiplication for 2nd–5th grade students.

That’s a PossibilityThat’s a Possibility!: A Book About What Might Happen
by Bruce Goldstone
Ages 7–10
Beginning with the basic concepts of possibility, certainty, and impossibility, this accessible book explores probability. Photographs and digital illustrations place the situations firmly in the real world. “Will an elephant hatch from this egg? That’s impossible!” An illustration of a field of purple flowers with only two yellow ones demonstrates what is probable. Clear scenarios and simple explanations make the often confusing topic of probability easy to grasp.

The Rabbit ProblemThe Rabbit Problem
by Emily Gravett
Ages 4–8
This whimsical book addresses Fibonacci’s question: “If a pair of baby rabbits are put in a field, how many pairs will there be at the end of each month? After each year?” Opening like a calendar, the 12 pages record a full year of the rabbit experiment, beginning with Lonely and Chalk, and including a Baby Book for their first born, a ration book from the carrot shortage, and hilarious documentation of the growing rabbit population. The beautifully detailed illustrations build to a surprising pop-up ending.

The Boy Who Loved MathThe Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos
by Deborah Heiligman, LeUyen Pham
Ages 3–8
Paul Erdos loved math from the time he was a small boy, but he was unhappy with all the rules he had to follow at school and convinced his mother to let him study at home. Known as “The Magician from Budapest,” at the age of four Paul could calculate in his head the number of seconds lived when given a birth date, but he never mastered common life tasks like cooking, laundry, or driving a car. Instead, he flitted around the world, sleeping on the couches of anyone interested in talking math with him. This accessible book celebrates an unconventional and brilliant mathematician in both words and illustrations.

Lemonade in WinterLemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money
by Emily Jenkins, G. Brian Karas
Ages 3–7
Pauline and her little brother John-John are positive that they can make a fortune selling lemonade in the middle of winter. Their parents aren’t so sure, but the siblings persevere and work together to advertise and sell their wares. Readers will enjoy counting out the coins for each sale as they enjoy the trust and companionship of the entrepreneurial siblings.
 
Edgar Allan Poe's PieEdgar Allan Poe’s Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems
by J. Patrick Lewis, Michael Slack
Ages 6–9
Poet laureate Lewis transforms famous poems (like “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, “April Rain Song” by Langston Hughes, “The Termite” by Ogden Nash) into humorous word problems. Brightly colored illustrations complement the offbeat mix of language and mathematics, sure to delight children and adults alike.

How Many Jelly Beans?How Many Jelly Beans?
by Andrea Menotti, Yancey Labat
Ages 4–8
Emma and Aiden can’t decide how many jelly beans is enough. Is 10 too few? Is 1000 too many? When asked how many they want, the two begin an escalating boasting match of how many they need. The bright jelly beans illustrate the numbers: 500 cover a coffee table, 1000 appear on the days of a calendar year, one million take up a 10-panel foldout finale. This large-format book provides an engaging context for a child-friendly exploration of large numbers.

AmandaAmanda Bean’s Amazing Dream
by Cindy Neuschwander
Ages 5–9
Multiplication
Fun introduction to multiplication for 1st–3rd grade students.

Sir CumferenceSir Cumference and the First Round Table
by Cindy Neuschwander
Ages 7–12
Geometry
Introduces 2nd–5th grade students to radius and circumference.

AntsOne Hundred Hungry Ants
by Elinor J. Pinczes
Ages 4–9
Factoring
A rhyming introduction to factoring for Kinder–4th grade students.

RemainderA Remainder of One
by Elinor J. Pinczes
Ages 4–9
Division
A rhyming introduction to division with remainders for Kinder–4th grade students.

G Is for GoogolG Is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book
by David M. Schwartz, Marissa Moss
Ages 9–12
This clever math alphabet books takes readers through 26+ important math ideas and concepts in an amusing and entertaining way. The informative and light-hearted text is perfectly paired with bright cartoon-like illustrations, bringing the mathematics alive. Students and teachers alike will enjoy exploring this rich book.

MillionHow Much is a Million?
by David M. Schwartz
Ages 6–12
Number
Graphics help 1st–5th grade students conceptualize the immensity of numbers.

MillionIf You Made a Million
by David M. Schwartz
Ages 6–12
Number
This funny and accessible book 2nd–5th grade students explores money, saving, spending, interest, mortgages, etc.

MathMath Curse
by Jon Scieszka
Ages 7–up
The narrator is afflicted with a “math curse” and her entire day becomes a series of math problems. Hilarious text with striking illustrations by Lane Smith.

Mice MischiefMice Mischief: Math Facts in Action
by Caroline Stills, Judith Rossell
Ages 3–6
Combinations of 10
Ten lively and playful little mice demonstrate all the different ways that the numbers from 1 to 9 can add up to 10. Throughout the book, an decreasing number of mice are doing useful chores while an increasing number are goofing off — Eight mice cook pancakes while two juggle fruit: 8 + 2 = 10.

1 to 201 to 20, Animals Aplenty
by Katie Viggers
Ages 3–7
A menagerie of animals illustrates the numbers from one to twenty both numerically and as a quantity. The rhyming text adds to the fun of animals decked out in amusing apparel or using silly props — “3 llamas wearing pajamas” and “16 chickens reading Dickens”. Specific breeds and types of animals are identified — among the “7 pigs wearing wigs” are a Tamworth with a pompadour and a Gloucester Old Spot sporting a green Mohawk.