Recommended Reads

Primo primate artist Anthony Browne is at the top of his form with a simple -- and simply fascinating -- array of creatures for kids to count.

What better attention-getter for small children than primates in all their variety? And who better to render them than Anthony Browne? In this elegant counting book, the author-illustrator outdoes himself with a vivid presentation of primates from gorillas to gibbons, macaques to mandrills, ring-tailed lemurs to spider monkeys. With his striking palette, exquisite attention to detail, and quirky flair for facial expressions, Anthony Browne slyly extends the basic number concept into a look at similarities and differences -- portraying an extended family we can count ourselves part of.

"One fine morning, a rooster decided he wanted to travel." In strikingly designed, colorful collage illustrations and a beguiling simple text, Eric Carle takes his young readers on a trip with the rooster and his companions. As he travels, the rooster is joined by two cats, three frogs, four turtles and five fish, offering the child a graphic introduction to the meaning of numbers, number sets and addition within the context of an entertaining story. When night falls, the rooster's friends find he has made no provisions for their food or shelter and, disappointed, they abandon the expedition -- once again in sets of five, four, three and two, but this time in a declining series. Finally the rooster, too, decides that he has seen enough of the world and that he is, in fact, a little bit homesick.

Eric Carle believes in letting children make learning discoveries at their own pace. This book can be read and enjoyed for its story and its beautiful illustrations alone; however, the child who is ready to begin to think mathematically will find additional pleasures in the opportunities presented in the text, the pictures and the diagrams for learning basic arithmetic concepts.

The peas are back in this counting-themed follow-up to the New York Times bestselling LMNO Peas.

Meet the peas—the 1-2-3 Peas! Come along as they count from one to one hundred in this pea-filled picture book that’s packed with bright, bold numbers and playful number-themed scenes. These tiny green mathematicians will have young readers everywhere calling for more peas, please!

Caldecott Honor winner Grace Lin celebrates math for every kid, everywhere!

Manny and his friends Olivia and Mei blow bubbles in this playful introduction to geometry. Manny's wand is a circle. Olivia's wand is a square. Mei's wand is a heart. What shape will their bubbles be? (Surprise! They're all spheres.)

Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Celebrate diversity, math, and the power of storytelling!

It's bedtime for Marco and his stuffed animals, but the animals have other ideas. When Marco tries to put them away, they fly, swim, and slither right out of their bins! Can Marco sort the animals so everyone is happy? A playful exploration of sorting and classifying that combines math with empathy. The perfect bedtime book, featuring Latinx characters and a note about scientific classification.

Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

This exuberant picture book demonstrates key math concepts to children as ten math-loving chicks make a new friend.

As the Arithmechicks slide down the slide, swing on the swings, and play hide-and-seek, they don't realize that a lonely mouse is copying them, longing to join in. However, when their basketball becomes stuck, the chicks discover that a two-inch-tall new friend is exactly what they need. In this heartwarming story, there are many ways to add up ten cheerful chicks--but a new friend is what makes them cheer. The book includes a helpful glossary that defines the eight arithmetic strategies the chicks use throughout the story, providing a playful introduction to essential math for young children and their caregivers.

Lively picture book enumerates the joys of counting in both English and Spanish

Boisterous illustrations and rhyming text: One is a rainbow. One is a cake. One is a piñata that's ready to break! In this lively picture book, a companion to the Pura Belpré–honored Green Is a Chile Pepper, children discover a fiesta of numbers in the world around them, all the way from one to ten. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin and all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this vibrant book enumerates the joys of counting and the wonders that abound in every child's day!

• Filled with bright and colorful images that makes counting objects a party.
• Includes numbers 1 through 10 in English and Spanish and incorporates Spanish words into the rhyming text.
• Roseanne Greenfield Thong is the author of more than a dozen award-winning children's books, including Round Is a Tortilla, Wish, 'Twas Nochebuena, Día de Los Muertos, and Green Is a Chile Pepper. John Parra is an award-winning illustrator who has received three Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor awards.

Fans of Round is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes and Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors will love this lively companion book, One Is a Piñata: A Book of Numbers.

Perfect for preschoolers and early readers working on counting skills and learning basic Spanish vocabulary.

• Books for kids ages 4-7
• Engaging children's picture book that teaches counting skills and is a basic Spanish-language learning tool
• Fun book to read aloud for families or elementary schools

In this exuberant book, acclaimed graphic designer Craig Frazier does more than simply showcase a vast variety of dots, he encourages young readers to look closely at the world around them. Through his energetic images, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Buttons are dots. Wheels are dots. Ladybugs have dots. And so do the fried eggs on your plate. Lots of Dots is lots of fun!

A perfect square is transformed in this adventure story that will transport you far beyond the four equal sides of this square book.

A Caldecott medalist and a Newbery Honor-winning poet celebrate the beauty and value of spirals.What makes the tiny snail shell so beautiful? Why does that shape occur in nature over and over again--in rushing rivers, in a flower bud, even inside your ear?

With simplicity and grace, Joyce Sidman's poetry paired with Beth Krommes's scratchboard illustrations not only reveal the many spirals in nature--from fiddleheads to elephant tusks, from crashing waves to spiraling galaxies--but also celebrate the beauty and usefulness of this fascinating shape.