We’re well past Family Literacy Week now, but I’ve still got more fun numeracy-themed book lists to share! This week it’s all about stories that put the fun in functional equations! 😉
How Many Legs? : In this zany, laugh-out-loud counting book, little readers are challenged to figure out how many legs there would be in a room if lots of many-legged friends showed up. How many legs would there be if a dog walked in with a chimpanzee? Or a frog hopped in on a kangaroo? Or a squid rode in on a buffalo? Hilarious illustrations and fun text ratchet up the giggles as each new friend joins the party. Can you keep track of all the wacky, multiple-legged “guests” that turn up on the page? Maybe or maybe not, but you’ll sure have a hoot along the way.
7 ATE 9 : 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. Lucky for him, Private I is on the case. But the facts just don’t add up. Will Private I put two and two together and solve the problem . . . or is 6 next in line to be subtracted?
The Cookie Fiasco : Hippo, Croc, and the Squirrels are determined to have equal cookies for all! But how? There are only three cookies . . . and four of them! They need to act fast before nervous Hippo breaks all the cookies into crumbs!
Catastrophe : A crew of hungry kittens and their captain head to the lake to catch some dinner, but the fish have surprises in store for them. Even before the cats encounter the fish, they run into trouble. What happens when confused kitties paddle every which way? Or when they all lean in the same direction? A pattern is needed to avoid a catastrophe!
Math Curse : Did you ever wake up to one of those days where everything is a problem? You have 10 things to do, but only 30 minutes until your bus leaves. Is there enough time? You have 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. Can you make 1 good outfit? Then you start to wonder: Why does everything have to be such a problem? Why do 2 apples always have to be added to 5 oranges? Why do 4 kids always have to divide 12 marbles? Why can’t you just keep 10 cookies without someone taking 3 away? Why? Because you’re the victim of a Math Curse. That’s why. But don’t despair. This is one girl’s story of how that curse can be broken.
One Fox : A Counting Book Thriller : One hungry fox with two sly eyes is on the prowl . . . three plump hens had better watch out! Rich and colorful illustrations plunge the reader into a dramatic and exciting story set in a moonlit farmyard.
The Very Cold Freezing No Number Day : Children must trace, blow on, and count the numbers to unfreeze them, and in the process, they will learn colors, seasons, patterns, and numbers.
One-osaurus, Two-osaurus : Nine dinosaurs are playing a sing-song rendition of hide-and-seek—but something isn’t adding up. Where is number ten? Stomp, stomp, stomp! CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP! Ready or not, here he comes, and he sounds . . . big!
Count the Monkeys : Kids will giggle as they count all the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages. Full of fun reader interactions and keeps readers guessing until the very last page!
Two Dogs on a Trike : One by one, each dog escapes its yard and joins the adventure in this hilarious counting story. Vehicle-obsessed readers will love seeing all the modes of transportation that the pups use—until the family cat decides to round them all up to go back home.
One of the best things about sharing fun number-themed books with kids is that it really helps build positive associations with math – numbers don’t have to be serious or stressful, they can also be funny and silly!
Jane – thanks for this wonderful post. So many great books!