Book Finder

Count colorful fruits and veggies from one to 12 as one examines the appealing photographs. This is a fine companion to the author’s Edible Colors (2014).

Highly realistic portraits for familiar animals from one to 10 are presented with a tidbit of information about where and how they live. But this is more than a simple (and gorgeous) counting book. Each animal is either endangered or threatened; additional information at the end brings readers up to date with each animal’s status.

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!

Crisp color photographs of fruits and vegetables are presented. One of each is presented on the left of the double page spreads, while variations of the fruit or veggie (e.g., there are 12 different citrus fruits) are introduced on the opposing page. There is potential to introduce new edibles — perhaps at your local farmer’s market — while counting and playing with numbers.

From 10 to one, guinea pigs celebrating a birthday are eliminated one-by-one through recognizable (but minor) disasters. With a wish, however, the 10 are reunited to continue the playful celebration.

One by one, five googly-eyed little chooky chicks come together to pull a stubborn worm but need the help of a big rooster. Energetic language and jaunty illustrations reveal the surprise.

This collection of poems by Karla Kuskin, David McCord, and Janet Wong features rhymes about mathematics, numbers, and having fun, accompanied by illustrations in a naïve style.

When a boy’s dragon goes missing in New York City, he goes out in search of it. Readers can explore the city sights while counting from one dragon to 20 lanterns. Illustrations use black line to create texture with color to define the objects counted.

Leonard Marcus, a nationally acclaimed writer on children’s literature, has created a richly annotated edition of this perennial favorite. Marcus’s expansive annotations include interviews with the author and illustrator, illuminating excerpts from Juster’s notes and drafts, cultural and literary commentary, and Marcus’s own insights on the book.

Everything one needs to know about triangles and angles is presented in a brief but informative and upbeat manner, all colorfully illustrated. A few triangle experiments are clearly delineated and illustrated and sure to engage and may lead to other activities.

Walter, Wendell, Woody, and Wilmer Wing Wing, feathered siblings, share comic adventures beginning with their first amazing feat, “Describing Relative Positions” (in front, behind, etc.). They continue by composing simple shapes, and conclude by partitioning a rectangle into equal parts. While wacky, the Wing Wings’s exploits enliven basic math concepts and vocabulary.

Raised shapes correspond with die-cuts on sturdy board to present objects and numbers from 1 to 10. Bright colors and broad shapes use limited language to proffer foundational math concepts while providing different ways to perceive them. The same approach is used in Shapes (opens in a new window), another offering in this attractive series.

When ten mice start their day, they engage in routine activities — always equaling 10. Lively verbiage and numerical equations combine with animated illustrations to present the rodents’ antics (e.g., “10 mice wake.9 mice tidy. 1 mouse somersaults. 9+1=10”).

Join a mother and child as they count from one to ten and back again on New York’s subway. Their iconic journey, told through bold, bright colored forms and simple text, starts with “1 MetroCard, Momma and me” and continues until they arrive at “1 station, central and grand.”

Transformations begin with one (1) acorn that becomes one oak tree with a turn of the sturdy page. They continue on to 100 puzzle pieces that, when put together, become one big puzzle. Boldly colors and die cuts create an effective and intriguing introduction to counting from 1 to 100.

Playful situations from familiar situations and activities make math come alive. Questions for “wee ones”, “little” and “big kids” as well as bonuses make this humorously illustrated bedtime book fun at any time of the day. It’s a follow-up to Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late (opens in a new window).

Annika wants her math-hating friends to enjoy math as much as she does. Feeding answers to math problems to friends hurts more but using math to save the class carnival is another story! Recognizable characters identifiable situations make a plausible, engaging school story.

Joe drives his car to his bus where he picks up five dogs and five cats, then drops some off to continue their travel by boat, plane, and train. Boldly colored illustrations and broad shapes much like the author used in My Car (opens in a new window) are sure to appeal.

On black pages, a die-cut reveals from 1 to 10 lights. With a turn of the page, a vehicle is revealed in full color, highly stylized illustrations. A clue encourages guessing before the big reveal. The final one light is the night light in a child’s room.

The number 1 and the letter A welcome readers to a book about numbers, or is it a book about letters? They discover that it’s really both, as things from A to Z in quantities of 1 to 26, parade through the pages. Cartoon illustrations and humor multiply as the competition and the concepts playfully unfold in increasingly busy illustrations.

One shaggy dog sniffs at the edge of a rain puddle, and then “glub, glub, glub … he sinks out of sight.” The same fate happens to 2 cats, 3 squirrels and on to 12; then everyone reappears in reverse order until all’s again well … for the time being, that is. Silliness abounds in whimsical language and jaunty illustrations with lots to see and count.

A group of movie-making monsters introduce the concepts needed to make a 3-dimensional film: width, height, depth. Related ideas and vocabulary follow (e.g., circumference, area, etc.) also presented with the same light touch. Flat, silly-but-colorful monsters lead the exploration to its conclusion.

A billion is a big number, bigger than a million. “It’s written like this: 1,000,000,000 — one followed by nine zeroes.” There aren’t even that many hairs on your head! Colorful illustrations and child-friendly comparisons bring these huge numbers into clearer focus in both words and numerals enhanced by bright, cheery illustrations.

Colorful toy teddy bears appear on open pages with an engaging, rhyming narrative. Children will be able to see the patterns and learn to “skip count” (e.g., counting by 2s) while being introduced to basic arithmetic (addition and its relationship to multiplication). One of a series of basic math books.