Math for Kids: Children's Books that Incorporate Math in Reading

Did you know how well children do math at the start of kindergarten predicts how well they will do in 3rd grade and high school? In addition, it also predicts how well they'll doing in reading.

These books incorporate math in reading and are available at the Sussex County Library System.

Updated May 29, 2024
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1 big salad
Medina, Juana
Paper Book
Juana Medina's ingenious illustrations nearly pop off the page in her new counting book, ONE BIG SALAD. One avocado deer saunters across the spread, two radish mice scurry by, until finally ten clementine kitties prance onto the scene - all of the ingredients in one big salad! Medina's...
Alexander, who used to be rich last Sunday
Viorst, Judith.
Paper Book
Anthony has two dollars and three quarters and one dime and seven nickels and eighteen pennies. Nicholas has one dollar and two quarters and five dimes and five nickels and thirteen pennies. Alexander has...bus tokens. And even when he's rich, pretty soon all he has is bus tokens. ...
Bedtime math
Overdeck, Laura
Paper Book
Bedtime Math wants to change the way we introduce math to children: to make math a fun part of kids' everyday lives. We all know it's wonderful to read bedtime stories to kids, but what about doing math? Many generations of Americans are uncomfortable with math and...
Bedtime math 2 : this time it's personal
Overdeck, Laura
Paper Book
"We want kids to feel about math the way they feel about dessert after dinner." --Laura Overdeck, Time magazine Our mission: to make math a fun part of kids' everyday lives. In, Bedtime Math: This Time It's Personal, families will find fun, mischief-making math...
The doorbell rang
Hutchins, Pat.
Paper Book
This enjoyable read-aloud picture book about friendship, sharing, and cookies can also be used to introduce basic math concepts to young children. "Refreshing, enjoyable, and unpredictable."--School Library Journal Each ring of the doorbell brings more friends to share the delicious...
The grapes of math : mind stretching math riddles
Tang, Greg.
Paper Book
This innovative and delightful book challenges children -- and parents -- to open their minds and solve problems in new and unexpected ways. By looking for patterns, symmetries, and familiar number combinations displayed within eye-catching pictures, math will become easier and quicker -- and much...
The greedy triangle
Burns, Marilyn
Paper Book
In this introduction to polygons, a triangle convinces a shapeshifter to make him a quadrilateral and later a pentagon, but discovers that where angles and sides are concerned, more isn't always better.
The growing story
Krauss, Ruth.
Paper Book
From this simple beginning grows a story that celebrates those little changes that tell us we're growing up! This Ruth Krauss classic enchanted young readers when it was first published in 1947. Now it blooms again with lush illustrations by one of the world's best-loved illustrators: Helen...
Have you seen my monster?
Light, Steve
Paper Book
In the sequel to Have You Seen My Dragon?, a little girl has lost her monster friend at the funfair! Can you help her find him?"Not since Where the Wild Things Are has the monstrous had such appeal." The Times A search-and-find shape book! The follow-up to Steve Light's Have You Seen My Dragon?, the...
How do dinosaurs count to ten?
Yolen, Jane.
Paper Book
The bestselling, award-winning team of Yolen and Teague present their beloved dinosaurs in this fun, read-aloud board book that teaches young children to count from one to ten! Come along for some BIG fun as your favorite dinosaurs delight young readers with their playful antics. How do...
How many jelly beans?
Menotti, Andrea.
Paper Book
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...
How much is a million?
Schwartz, David M.
Paper Book
"A jubilant, original picture book." --Booklist (starred review) 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,...
Inside, outside, upside down
Berenstain, Stan
Paper Book
A bear explores a carton on a truck and gets carried away. By the time he has returned, the reader will be exposed to the concepts of "inside, outside, upside down."   Bright and Early Books are perfect for beginning beginner readers! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1968 with The...
Just a little bit
Tompert, Ann.
Paper Book
When an elephant and a mouse try to play on a seesaw, they need help from a vast number of animal friends to balance the scales.
The lemonade war
Davies, Jacqueline
Paper Book
Here is a clever blend of humor, math wizardry, and business know-how. As it captures the one-of-a-kind bond between brother and sister, this poignant novel also subtly explores how arguments can escalate beyond anyone's intent. For a full hour, he poured lemonade. The world is a thirsty...
Math fables
Tang, Greg.
Paper Book
From 1 to 10, these "lessons that count" are math magic for learning addition and subtraction. Greg Tang has built his career as an author and math missionary on the power of creative problem solving. Now, through winsome "fables" about concepts that are relevant to the very...
Mystery math : a first book of algebra
Adler, David A.
Paper Book
Boo! There is a mystery behind every door of the creepy haunted house. Luckily, algebra will help you solve each problem. By using simple addition, subtraction, mulitplication, and division, you'll discover that solving math mysteries isn't scary at all -- it's fun!
One big pair of underwear
Gehl, Laura.
Paper Book
Count and share with...underwear! Come along on a zany adventure with hilarious pictures from the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. What's one thing that two bears, three yaks, four goats, and six cats have in common?...
One grain of rice : a mathematical folktale
Demi.
Paper Book
Long ago in India, there lived a raja who believed that he was wise and fair. But every year he kept nearly all of the people's rice for himself. Then when famine came, the raja refused to share the rice, and the people went hungry. Then a village girl named Rani devises a clever plan. She does a...
Over and under the pond
Messner, Kate
Paper Book
A secret underwater world brought to life: This gorgeous companion to the acclaimed Over and Under the Snow and Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt is an excellent addition to any emerging reader's collection. In Over and Under the Pond...
Rooster is off to see the world
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
Count along with Rooster in this Ready-to-Read edition of a favorite story from Eric Carle. One fine morning, a rooster sets off to see the world. Soon he's joined by two cats, then three frogs, then four turtles, then five fish. But one group by one, his new friends decide to...
Rosie's walk
Hutchins, Pat
Paper Book
Rosie's walk around the farmyard, pursued by the hungry but clumsy fox, has become a beacon in the world of children's picture books, an ever-popular classic which generations have enjoyed. Children love the humour of this near-wordless story. One disaster after another befalls the poor fox while...
Round is a tortilla : a book of shapes
Thong, Roseanne.
Paper Book
In this lively picture book, children discover shapes all around them!  A feast for the eyes and playful lesson in language for young readers, Round Is a Tortilla features rich, boisterous illustrations, fun-to-read rhyming text, and an...
Sir Cumference and the first round table : a math adventure
Neuschwander, Cindy.
Paper Book
Join Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius for wordplay, puns, and problem solving in this geometry-packed math adventure. King Arthur was a good ruler, but now he needs a good ruler. What would you do if the neighboring kingdom were threatening war? Naturally,...
Ten black dots
Crews, Donald.
Paper Book
From Donald Crews, the Caldecott Honor artist and award-winning creator of Truck, Freight Train, and many other classic picture books for young children, this picture book is a fun introduction to basic math concepts. What can you do with ten black dots
Two of everything : a Chinese folktale
Hong, Lily Toy.
Paper Book
When old Mr. Haktak digs up a curious brass pot in his garden, he has no idea what use it can be. On his way home, Mr. Haktak decides to carry his coin purse in the mysterious pot. But when Mrs. Haktak's hairpin accidentally slips into the pot and she reaches in to retrieve it, the magic of the...

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