You probably know by this point that we love math and we strongly feel that having good number sense and numerical fluency is key when it comes to success in school, but also in life. Math is at play in every part of our lives from cooking, to shopping, to following sports, to most jobs, however, it can be hard for kids to make a connection to the math they practice in school and real-life scenarios. It isn’t always obvious to kids how learning the skills they do in math class or by doing homework sets them up foundationally to be able to critically think better.
Many schools and education programs are working to help kids make the connection between the math they do in school and tangible life situations, and one of the ways they’re doing so is by interconnecting it to other subjects, such as history, reading, writing, geography, computer science etc. For the purpose of this blog, we’ll focus on just one discipline that bridges into the world of mathematics that kids tend to like: reading. According to the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, books can help connect math with imagination and creativity and every year they gather a panel of mathematicians, teachers and librarians and other early childhood experts who arrange a list of books that incorporate math and help further kids from various age group absorb math outside of classroom instruction. These are books that are applicable for all children, not just math minded ones. With that said, below are 5 books from the MSRI recommended list that are well worth the read.
Baby Goes to Market
Grades: Pre-K – 2
This book takes places at a market in Nigeria, where a mother takes her baby shopping for food. As the mother puts items in her basket, the baby tastes a bite of each item without her knowing. When they are done, the mother rushes home to feed her baby, who she suspects must be so hungry because of their market excursion. Little does she know, her baby has been snacking the whole time! The math in this book isn’t necessarily called out, but little kids should be able to recognize what’s happening and add up and/or subtract the amount of bites the baby has had, unprompted. Naturally occurring math is the best!
Sheep Won’t Sleep: Counting by 2s, 5s and 10s
Grades K – 2
The heroine of the story, named Clarissa, has trouble sleeping and tries several things to help, counting sheep included. When the sheep counting doesn’t work, the sheep recommend she count alpacas, but in 2s. When that doesn’t work, the alpacas suggest counting llamas by 5s. The animals suggest counting other animals all the way to 10s, as Clarissa’s room fills up with colorfully printed woolly animals. The funny storyline and entertaining illustrations help guide early elementary schoolers to counting in groups.
A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars
Grades: 3 – 5
Scale and estimation can be hard concepts – especially when you get into the trillion numbers. Writing 19 zeros after the number 26 is one way to show just how many a hundred billion trillion is, but conceptually that can be hard and boring for kids to grasp. Instead of being boring, this book uses tangible examples that kids can see, like a hundred billion trillion stars or ants to convey this enormous number. While literate can’t replace math instruction and calculation, but books like this can sure can spark the idea of conceptually understanding infinity and how vast the world of math is.
Giant Pumpkin Suite
Grades: 6 – 8
Many math related children’s books review figures, puzzles and calculations, however, another way for literature to address math is through characters who love and study math. In the Giant Pumpkin Suite, Rose, the main character is a cello player and math enthusiast. When she and her twin brother decide to try and grow a record-breaking pumpkin for the state fair, Rose goes through a fair amount of transition and growth herself during the time it takes the pumpkin to grow. The story focuses less on mathematics as a subject and more on a mathematician who is an interesting character, but it is great way to feel a very real connection to the human activity of math.
Genius: The Game
Grades: 9 – 12
This book is about three young adults who meet online and become friends and then connect in the real life during a high-profile global tech challenge. The three tech prodigies set out not only to win the tech challenge game, but also solve complex problems in their personal lives that range from maintaining secret identities to finding missing family members. The book is told in modern, rotating voices and filled with suspenseful plot twists that will grip teenagers – especially those interested in coding and/or programming. It might even start a love for coding for those who weren’t into it before reading the book.
