Math-inspiring picture books for young readers.
2019 Winner
Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakeable Mathematician Sophie Germain by
The true story of eighteenth-century mathematician Sophie Germain, who solved the unsolvable to achieve her dream. When her parents took away her candles to keep their young daughter from studying math...nothing stopped Sophie. When a professor discovered that the homework sent to him under a male pen name came from a woman...nothing stopped Sophie. And when she tackled a math problem that male scholars said would be impossible to solve...still, nothing stopped Sophie. For six years, Sophie Germain used her love of math and her undeniable determination to test equations that would predict patterns of vibrations. 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 (and can be seen in the book's illustrations). Award-winning author Cheryl Bardoe's inspiring and poetic text is brought to life by acclaimed artist Barbara McClintock's intricate pen-and-ink, watercolor, and collage illustrations in this true story about a woman who let nothing stop her.
2018 Winner
Sheep Won't Sleep by
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. Winner of the Mathical Book Prize! A glass of warm milk, reading, working on her knitting-nothing can help Clarissa get to sleep. When even counting sheep doesn't help her doze off, she tried pairs of alpacas instead. Two, four, six. . . then llamas by fives . . . then yaks by tens! But no one could sleep with a room full of bouncing, bleating, shedding animals. Determined to unravel her problem so she can get some sleep, Clarissa counts back down until she's all alone, and she can finally get some rest. Introducing addition and subtraction by ones, twos, fives, and tens,Sheep Won't Sleep is part bedtime story, part math practice- and the hilarious illustrations of spotted, striped, and plaid animals are sure to appeal to imaginative readers of all ages. A perfect-- and fun!-- way to introduce and reinforce counting in groups, this is sure to be a study- and bedtime favorite!
2017 Winner
Absolutely One Thing by
"Sunny and energetic. . . . Plenty of math is squeezed into the text, but the joy of numbers is conveyed much more effectively." -- School Library Journal Charlie and Lola are going to the store, and their mother says they may choose one thing. "One thing to share?" Lola asks. No, one thing each, explains Charlie, or two actual things between two. Lola is nine minutes late getting ready, and on the way, there are ladybugs to count and maybe a squillion leaves on a tree. With Lola hilariously bending everyday numbers to her will and Charlie providing the (somewhat exasperated) voice of reason, fans new and old will be hard-put to resist these utterly appealing siblings.
2016 Winner
Max's Math by
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, where a flood washed away all of the squares. Max and his brothers show the town that putting together two triangles will bring their shapes back together.
2015 Winner
One Big Pair of Underwear by
Count and share with...underwear! Come along on a zany adventure with this Classic Board Book edition of One Big Pair of Underwear from New York Times bestselling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld! What's one thing that two bears, three yaks, four goats, and six cats have in common? They hate to share. But look out--here comes a pack of twenty pigs ready to prove that sharing makes everything twice as fun! This seriously silly Classic Board Book with artwork by the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site irresistibly combines the concepts of counting and sharing.
How Many Jelly Beans? by
How many jelly beans are enough? How many are too many? Aiden and Emma can't decide. Is 10 enough? How about 1,000? That's a lot of jelly beans. But eaten over a whole year, it's only two or three a day. This giant picture book offers kids a fun and easy way to understand large numbers. Starting with 10, each page shows more and more colorful candies, leading up to a giant fold-out surprise--ONE MILLION JELLY BEANS! With bright illustrations and an irresistible extra-large format, How Many Jelly Beans? makes learning about big numbers absolutely scrumptious!
Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant by
How much does an elephant weigh? How do you know? How would you know if you didn't have a modern scale? 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 principle of buoyancy and a little bit of creative thinking help this boy come up with a solution.
Lifetime by
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. This extraordinary book collects animal information not available anywhere else--and shows all 30 roosting holes, all 200 spots, and, yes!, all 1,000 baby seahorses in eye-catching illustrations. A book about picturing numbers and considering the endlessly fascinating lives all around us, Lifetime is sure to delight young nature lovers.
Shapes, Reshape! by
The shapes in this book get mixed up, moved around, and reshaped into all kinds of animals. But can you guess which animal before they reshape? When you mix up certain shapes and move them around, do you know what buzzy things they reshape into? Ten fluttering dragonflies! Now what about shapes that reshape into jumpy things? Would you guess nine slimy frogs? Turn each page to find a pile of shapes and a clue--stripy or clucky, prickly or pinchy, roary or scaly, stompy or fiery--then turn the page again to see if you're right.
The Boy Who Loved Math by
Most people think of mathematicians as solitary, working away in isolation. And, it's true, many of them do. But Paul Erdos never followed the usual path. At the age of four, he could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive in his head. But he didn't learn to butter his own bread until he turned twenty. Instead, he traveled around the world, from one mathematician to the next, collaborating on an astonishing number of publications. With a simple, lyrical text and richly layered illustrations, this is a beautiful introduction to the world of math and a fascinating look at the unique character traits that made "Uncle Paul" a great man. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013 A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013
Zero the Hero by
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That's what all the other numbers think of Zero. He doesn't add anything in addition. He's of no use in division. And don't even ask what he does in multiplication. (Hint: Poof!) But Zero knows he's worth a lot, and when the other numbers get into trouble, he swoops in to prove that his talents are innumerable.
The Girl with a Mind for Math by
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book 2019 Selection NSTA Best STEM Trade Books for Students K-12 2019 Selection 2019 Amelia Bloomer List Selection 2019 Mathical Honor Book Meet Raye Montague - a "hidden figure" 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. Through it all, the gifted mathematician persisted finally gaining her well-deserved title in history: a pioneer who changed the course of ship design forever. The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague is the third book in a riveting educational series about the inspiring lives of amazing scientists. In addition to the illustrated rhyming tale, you'll find a complete biography, fun facts, a colorful timeline of events, and even a note from Montague herself!
When Sophie Thinks She Can't... by
Three-time Caldecott Honor illustrator Molly Bang helps children solve problems by showing a different -- and highly effective -- approach: "I can't do it" becomes "I can't do it... yet."When Sophie can't solve a math puzzle, she feels upset and inadequate. "I CAN'T DO IT!" she shouts, expressing the frustration all of us feel when we try and fail. Will she ever be "smart" like her sister? Maybe she isn't smart at all.Luckily Sophie's teacher steps in. What does it mean to be smart? Using current, popular "mindset" techniques, Sophie's class is taught that we get smarter when we exercise our brains, such as when we work harder at solving a puzzle. Struggling to solve a problem doesn't mean "I can't do it!" Sophie and her classmates just can't do it... yet! Readers will cheer when Sophie finally prevails, and at the end of the day, she's confident and optimistic. At home, Sophie uses her new technique to help her dad solve a carpentry puzzle.In this third book about Sophie, Molly Bang again helps children deal with a challenging everyday issue, providing an opening to ask: What do you do when you think, "I can't!"?
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by
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. You've likely heard of the historic Apollo 13 moon landing. But do you know about the mathematical genius who made sure that Apollo 13 returned safely home? As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math, about the universe. From Katherine's early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, Counting on Katherine is the story of a groundbreaking American woman who not only calculated the course of moon landings but, in turn, saved lives and made enormous contributions to history. Christy Ottaviano Books
3x4 by
★So exemplary an execution of a simple concept that it can be read multiple ways-as multiplication, counting, sorting-without sacrificing fun."-Kirkus Reviews,starred review Fun by the dozen!Annemarie and her clever classmates must draw sets of twelve and use their imagination to come up with creative and innovative solutions. Young readers will delight in the counting game while learning the basics of multiplication. Star cartoonist IVAN BRUNETTI, author of spectacular books like Comics- Easy as ABC! and Wordplay makes an ingenious and fun-to-read comic that turns everyone, young and old alike, into a math whiz!