Math Literature, Gr. 3 - 5
All of these books are available at the Brookline Public Library! You can also find them at local retailers and online for purchase.
There are, of course, hundreds more books with fantastic math connections, but these will get you started.
There are, of course, hundreds more books with fantastic math connections, but these will get you started.
One Hundred Hungry Ants
by Elinor Pinczes, illustrated by Bonnie MacKain (Amazon)
Call Number: jP Pinczes
Hi dee ho! It's off to a picnic we go! One hundred very hungry ants hurry to sample the delights of a picnic, but marching in single file seems too slow for 100 empty tummies. The smallest ant of all suggests they travel in 2 rows of 50, four rows of 25 . . . and the division begins. One Hundred Hungry Ants is not only a spirited and whimsical story, but also serves as an enjoyable visual introduction to math.
MATH KEYWORDS: array, multiplication, factor
by Elinor Pinczes, illustrated by Bonnie MacKain (Amazon)
Call Number: jP Pinczes
Hi dee ho! It's off to a picnic we go! One hundred very hungry ants hurry to sample the delights of a picnic, but marching in single file seems too slow for 100 empty tummies. The smallest ant of all suggests they travel in 2 rows of 50, four rows of 25 . . . and the division begins. One Hundred Hungry Ants is not only a spirited and whimsical story, but also serves as an enjoyable visual introduction to math.
MATH KEYWORDS: array, multiplication, factor
Measuring Penny
by Loreen Leedy (Amazon)
Call Number: EASY jY Leedy
This clear and engaging concept book, delivered with a sense of humor, is certain to win over the most reluctant mathematician.
Lisa has an important homework assignment--to measure something in several different ways. She has to use standard units like inches and nonstandard units like paper clips to find out height, width, length, weight, volume, temperature, and time. Lisa decides to measure her dog, Penny, and finds out:
Penny's nose = 1 inch long
Penny's tail = 1 dog biscuit long
Penny's paw print = 3 centimeters wide
...and that's only the beginning! Lisa learns a lot about her dog and about measuring, and even has fun doing it.
This clear and engaging concept book, delivered with a sense of humor, is certain to win over the most reluctant mathematician.
MATH KEYWORDS: measurement, problem solving
by Loreen Leedy (Amazon)
Call Number: EASY jY Leedy
This clear and engaging concept book, delivered with a sense of humor, is certain to win over the most reluctant mathematician.
Lisa has an important homework assignment--to measure something in several different ways. She has to use standard units like inches and nonstandard units like paper clips to find out height, width, length, weight, volume, temperature, and time. Lisa decides to measure her dog, Penny, and finds out:
Penny's nose = 1 inch long
Penny's tail = 1 dog biscuit long
Penny's paw print = 3 centimeters wide
...and that's only the beginning! Lisa learns a lot about her dog and about measuring, and even has fun doing it.
This clear and engaging concept book, delivered with a sense of humor, is certain to win over the most reluctant mathematician.
MATH KEYWORDS: measurement, problem solving
Math for All Seasons: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles
by Greg Tang, illustrated by Harry Brigs (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Tang (Coolidge Corner only)
Your challenge is to find the sum
Without counting one by one
Why not count? It's much too slow --
Adding is the way to go!
Make clever groups before you start --
Then add them in a way that's smart!
MATH FOR ALL SEASONS will challenge every kid -- and every parent -- to open their minds and solve problems in new and unexpected ways. By looking for patterns, symmetries, and familiar number combinations within eye-catching pictures, math will become easier, quicker, and more fun than anyone could have imagined!
MATH KEYWORDS: problem solving, grouping, patterns, symmetry, combinations
by Greg Tang, illustrated by Harry Brigs (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Tang (Coolidge Corner only)
Your challenge is to find the sum
Without counting one by one
Why not count? It's much too slow --
Adding is the way to go!
Make clever groups before you start --
Then add them in a way that's smart!
MATH FOR ALL SEASONS will challenge every kid -- and every parent -- to open their minds and solve problems in new and unexpected ways. By looking for patterns, symmetries, and familiar number combinations within eye-catching pictures, math will become easier, quicker, and more fun than anyone could have imagined!
MATH KEYWORDS: problem solving, grouping, patterns, symmetry, combinations
A Remainder of One
by Elinor Pinczes, illustrated by Bonnie MacKain (Amazon)
Call Number: jP Pinczes
When the queen of her 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.
MATH KEYWORDS: division, arrays, remainders
by Elinor Pinczes, illustrated by Bonnie MacKain (Amazon)
Call Number: jP Pinczes
When the queen of her 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.
MATH KEYWORDS: division, arrays, remainders
Just a Second
by Steve Jenkins (Amazon)
Call Number: j529 Jen
What can happen in just a second, a minute, or an hour?
How can we measure time?
The flap of a vulture’s wing.
A crocodile’s heartbeat.
The life of a mayfly.
These increments of time may sound a bit strange, but they are all fascinating ways in which we can think about time. But what exactly is time?
In Just a Second, the award-winning author-illustrator Steve Jenkins brings forth unique ways to think about time beyond the hands we see every day on a ticking clock. This non-fiction picture book explores time and how we think about it in a different way - as a series of events in the natural world (some of them directly observable, others not) that take place in a given unit of time. Steve Jenkins' extraordinary illustrations will accompany this engaging look at time.
MATH KEYWORDS: measurement/time
by Steve Jenkins (Amazon)
Call Number: j529 Jen
What can happen in just a second, a minute, or an hour?
How can we measure time?
The flap of a vulture’s wing.
A crocodile’s heartbeat.
The life of a mayfly.
These increments of time may sound a bit strange, but they are all fascinating ways in which we can think about time. But what exactly is time?
In Just a Second, the award-winning author-illustrator Steve Jenkins brings forth unique ways to think about time beyond the hands we see every day on a ticking clock. This non-fiction picture book explores time and how we think about it in a different way - as a series of events in the natural world (some of them directly observable, others not) that take place in a given unit of time. Steve Jenkins' extraordinary illustrations will accompany this engaging look at time.
MATH KEYWORDS: measurement/time
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
by Joseph D'Agnese, illustrated by John O'Brien (Amazon)
Call Number: J BIOG FIBONACCI
As a young boy in medieval Italy, Leonardo Fibonacci thought about numbers day and night. He was such a daydreamer that people called him a blockhead.
When Leonardo grew up and traveled the world, he was inspired by the numbers used in different countries. Then he realized that many things in nature, from the number of petals on a flower to the spiral of a nautilus shell, seem to follow a certain pattern.
The boy who was once teased for being a blockhead had discovered what came to be known as the Fibonacci Sequence!
MATH KEYWORDS: patterns, number theory, mathematical history, biography: Fibonacci
by Joseph D'Agnese, illustrated by John O'Brien (Amazon)
Call Number: J BIOG FIBONACCI
As a young boy in medieval Italy, Leonardo Fibonacci thought about numbers day and night. He was such a daydreamer that people called him a blockhead.
When Leonardo grew up and traveled the world, he was inspired by the numbers used in different countries. Then he realized that many things in nature, from the number of petals on a flower to the spiral of a nautilus shell, seem to follow a certain pattern.
The boy who was once teased for being a blockhead had discovered what came to be known as the Fibonacci Sequence!
MATH KEYWORDS: patterns, number theory, mathematical history, biography: Fibonacci
The Rabbit Problem
by Emily Gravett (Amazon)
Call Number: Picture jP Gravett, Emily
How does 1+1 = 288? A family of rabbits soon supplies the answer in this funny story! Hop along to Fibonacci's Field and follow Lonely and Chalk Rabbit through a year as they try to cope with their fast expanding brood and handle a different seasonal challenge each month, from the cold of February to the wet of April and the heat of July. This extraordinary picture book is packed with gorgeous details and novelty elements including a baby rabbit record book, a carrot recipe book and a surprise pop-up ending.
MATH KEYWORDS: patterns, problem solving
by Emily Gravett (Amazon)
Call Number: Picture jP Gravett, Emily
How does 1+1 = 288? A family of rabbits soon supplies the answer in this funny story! Hop along to Fibonacci's Field and follow Lonely and Chalk Rabbit through a year as they try to cope with their fast expanding brood and handle a different seasonal challenge each month, from the cold of February to the wet of April and the heat of July. This extraordinary picture book is packed with gorgeous details and novelty elements including a baby rabbit record book, a carrot recipe book and a surprise pop-up ending.
MATH KEYWORDS: patterns, problem solving
If the World Were a Village
by David J. Smith, illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong (Amazon)
Call Number: j304.2 Smi
This eye-opening book has sold over 400,000 copies in 17 languages, and has become a classic since its initial publication in 2002. It promotes "world-mindedness" by imagining the world's population ? all 6.8 billion of us ? as a village of just 100 people. Now, If the World Were a Village has been newly revised with updated statistics, several new activities and completely new material on food security, energy and health. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own. If the World Were a Village is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.
MATH KEYWORDS: real world, proportions, statistics
by David J. Smith, illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong (Amazon)
Call Number: j304.2 Smi
This eye-opening book has sold over 400,000 copies in 17 languages, and has become a classic since its initial publication in 2002. It promotes "world-mindedness" by imagining the world's population ? all 6.8 billion of us ? as a village of just 100 people. Now, If the World Were a Village has been newly revised with updated statistics, several new activities and completely new material on food security, energy and health. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own. If the World Were a Village is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.
MATH KEYWORDS: real world, proportions, statistics
Spaghetti and Meatballs for All!
by Marilyn Burns, illustrated by Debbie Tilly (Amazon)
Call Number: j510 B93s
This delightful Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book uses wit and humor to draw children into thinking about area and perimeter.
Mr. and Mrs. Comfort are having a family reunion! Mr. Comfort starts cooking up his famous spaghetti and meatballs, while Mrs. Comfort carefully arranges eight tables and thirty-two chairs so that everyone will have a seat. The tables look lovely, the food is ready, and here come the guests--with their own seating plans!
MATH KEYWORDS: algebra, perimeter, problem solving
by Marilyn Burns, illustrated by Debbie Tilly (Amazon)
Call Number: j510 B93s
This delightful Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book uses wit and humor to draw children into thinking about area and perimeter.
Mr. and Mrs. Comfort are having a family reunion! Mr. Comfort starts cooking up his famous spaghetti and meatballs, while Mrs. Comfort carefully arranges eight tables and thirty-two chairs so that everyone will have a seat. The tables look lovely, the food is ready, and here come the guests--with their own seating plans!
MATH KEYWORDS: algebra, perimeter, problem solving
Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream
by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Lisa Woodruff (Amazon)
Call Number: INTERMED J Neuschwander
Amanda Bean loves to count everything, from the books in the library to the popcorn in her bowl. If only she could count faster! Her teacher tries to persuade her of the virtues of multiplication, but Amanda remains unconvinced--until she has an amazing dream.
MATH KEYWORDS: multiplication
by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Lisa Woodruff (Amazon)
Call Number: INTERMED J Neuschwander
Amanda Bean loves to count everything, from the books in the library to the popcorn in her bowl. If only she could count faster! Her teacher tries to persuade her of the virtues of multiplication, but Amanda remains unconvinced--until she has an amazing dream.
MATH KEYWORDS: multiplication
The Best of Times: Math Strategies that Multiply
by Greg Tang, illustrated by Harry Brigs (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Tang
Greg Tang takes on the times tables, teaching kids innovative ways to multiply numbers and derive answers WITHOUT memorization.
Four is very fast to do when you multiply by 2.
Here's a little good advice --
please just always double twice!
BEST OF TIMES gives kids an intuitive understanding of multiplication, encouraging them to arrive at answers on their own rather than memorizing the times tables. A child who can multiply by two, for instance, can multiply by four and even eight! Likewise, times six builds on times two and times three.With his common-sense approach, Greg Tang encourages kids to solve problems creatively, building both their skills and their confidence.
MATH KEYWORDS: multiplication
by Greg Tang, illustrated by Harry Brigs (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Tang
Greg Tang takes on the times tables, teaching kids innovative ways to multiply numbers and derive answers WITHOUT memorization.
Four is very fast to do when you multiply by 2.
Here's a little good advice --
please just always double twice!
BEST OF TIMES gives kids an intuitive understanding of multiplication, encouraging them to arrive at answers on their own rather than memorizing the times tables. A child who can multiply by two, for instance, can multiply by four and even eight! Likewise, times six builds on times two and times three.With his common-sense approach, Greg Tang encourages kids to solve problems creatively, building both their skills and their confidence.
MATH KEYWORDS: multiplication
One Grain of Rice
by Demi (Amazon)
Call Number: FAIRY ST jZ Demi
Exotic, beautiful, and instructive, this "mathematical folktale" by author-illustrator Demi emerged from her love of India. The narrative and the evocative illustrations combine to create a real sense of the culture and atmosphere of this romantic land.It's the story of Rani, a clever girl who outsmarts a very selfish raja and saves her village. When offered a reward for a good deed, she asks only for one grain of rice, doubled each day for 30 days. Remember your math? That's lots of rice: enough to feed a village for a good long time--and to teach a greedy raja a lesson.
MATH KEYWORDS: problem solving, algebraic thinking, patterns
by Demi (Amazon)
Call Number: FAIRY ST jZ Demi
Exotic, beautiful, and instructive, this "mathematical folktale" by author-illustrator Demi emerged from her love of India. The narrative and the evocative illustrations combine to create a real sense of the culture and atmosphere of this romantic land.It's the story of Rani, a clever girl who outsmarts a very selfish raja and saves her village. When offered a reward for a good deed, she asks only for one grain of rice, doubled each day for 30 days. Remember your math? That's lots of rice: enough to feed a village for a good long time--and to teach a greedy raja a lesson.
MATH KEYWORDS: problem solving, algebraic thinking, patterns
How Much is a Million?
by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Kellogg (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Sch
Ever wonder just what a million of something means? How about a billion? Or a trillion? Marvelosissimo the mathematical magician can teach you! How Much is a Million? knocks complex numbers down to size in a fun, humorous way, helping children conceptualize a difficult mathematical concept.
This classic picture book is an ALA Notable Book, a Reading Rainbow Feature Selection, and a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book for Illustration.
MATH KEYWORDS: large numbers, real world, quantity
by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Kellogg (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Sch
Ever wonder just what a million of something means? How about a billion? Or a trillion? Marvelosissimo the mathematical magician can teach you! How Much is a Million? knocks complex numbers down to size in a fun, humorous way, helping children conceptualize a difficult mathematical concept.
This classic picture book is an ALA Notable Book, a Reading Rainbow Feature Selection, and a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book for Illustration.
MATH KEYWORDS: large numbers, real world, quantity
On Beyond a Million
by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Paul Meisel (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Sch
Professor X and his dog, Y, teach kids how to count exponentially by powers of 10 (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, etc.), beginning at 1 and working all the way up to a googol (a 1 followed by 100 zeros) and beyond. Children fascinated by large numbers will be amazed how quickly they can count to really BIG numbers, and they’ll also find answers to questions like “What comes after a trillion?” or “What’s the biggest number in the world?” Real-life examples provide plenty of fun facts, such as how much popcorn Americans eat in one year, or how many hairs are on a square inch of a person’s head. Along with the fun comes some powerful learning, as this unique counting book helps kids understand our number system, which is based on multiples of 10.
MATH KEYWORDS: large numbers, place value, powers of 10, quantity
by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Paul Meisel (Amazon)
Call Number: j513 Sch
Professor X and his dog, Y, teach kids how to count exponentially by powers of 10 (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, etc.), beginning at 1 and working all the way up to a googol (a 1 followed by 100 zeros) and beyond. Children fascinated by large numbers will be amazed how quickly they can count to really BIG numbers, and they’ll also find answers to questions like “What comes after a trillion?” or “What’s the biggest number in the world?” Real-life examples provide plenty of fun facts, such as how much popcorn Americans eat in one year, or how many hairs are on a square inch of a person’s head. Along with the fun comes some powerful learning, as this unique counting book helps kids understand our number system, which is based on multiples of 10.
MATH KEYWORDS: large numbers, place value, powers of 10, quantity
Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest
by Steve Jenkins (Amazon)
Call Number: j910.7 j41h
Climb the tallest mountain, dive into the deepest lake, and navigate the longest river in Steve Jenkins' stunning new book that explores the wonders of the natural world. With his striking cut paper collages, Jenkins majestically captures the grand sense of scale, perspective and awe that only mother earth can inspire.
MATH KEYWORDS: real world, comparisons, measurement
by Steve Jenkins (Amazon)
Call Number: j910.7 j41h
Climb the tallest mountain, dive into the deepest lake, and navigate the longest river in Steve Jenkins' stunning new book that explores the wonders of the natural world. With his striking cut paper collages, Jenkins majestically captures the grand sense of scale, perspective and awe that only mother earth can inspire.
MATH KEYWORDS: real world, comparisons, measurement
The Man Who Counted
by Malba Tahan, illustrated by Patricia Reid Baquero, translated by Leslie Clark and Alastair Reid (Amazon)
Call Number: 793.74 TAH
Malba Tahan is the creation of a celebrated Brazilian mathematician looking for a way to bring some of the mysteries and pleasures of mathematics to a wider public. The adventures of Beremiz Samir, The Man Who Counted, take the reader on a journey in which, time and again, Samir summons his extraordinary mathematical powers to settle disputes, give wise advice, overcome dangerous enemies, and win for himself fame, fortune, and rich rewards. We learn of previous mathematicians and come to admire Samir’s wisdom and patience. In the grace of Tahan’s telling, these stories hold unusual delights for the reader.
MATH KEYWORDS: problem solving
by Malba Tahan, illustrated by Patricia Reid Baquero, translated by Leslie Clark and Alastair Reid (Amazon)
Call Number: 793.74 TAH
Malba Tahan is the creation of a celebrated Brazilian mathematician looking for a way to bring some of the mysteries and pleasures of mathematics to a wider public. The adventures of Beremiz Samir, The Man Who Counted, take the reader on a journey in which, time and again, Samir summons his extraordinary mathematical powers to settle disputes, give wise advice, overcome dangerous enemies, and win for himself fame, fortune, and rich rewards. We learn of previous mathematicians and come to admire Samir’s wisdom and patience. In the grace of Tahan’s telling, these stories hold unusual delights for the reader.
MATH KEYWORDS: problem solving