5 Good Math Reads for Kids

If you regularly read our blogs, you know that we LOVE math and we see math in nearly every facet of life. We strongly believe that math is one of the best foundational tools for life and that number sense and numerical fluency are necessary skills for success in school and beyond. Math is at play in every part of our lives, but that can be a hard connection for kids to see sometimes. It isn’t always obvious to kids why they have to learn conceptual math skills in school and that they translate to understanding many things in life beyond math. 

Education has become more aware of gap in translation between drills and static numbers and real life for kids and many schools have adopted alternative methods of teaching math instead of drills and strict rules. However, helping kids understand math and how it can help them make sense of the world around them can also be taught through literature. According to the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, books can help connect the creative and playful side of math with imagination and creativity. Every year MSRI puts together a panel of teachers, mathematicians, librarians and other early childhood experts to come up with a list of books that celebrate math and help further educate kids in math in all different age groups. These books are ones that aren’t necessarily for kids who consider themselves “math people.” They’re more to help kids understand math is for everyone. With that said, here are 5 books from the MSRI recommended list that are well worth a read.

Have You Seen My Dragon?

Grade: Pre-K

In this book a child searches all over a city for his pet dragon in a multilayered counting book. There are colored objects that are very obvious to spot for readers to spot amongst the very graphic novel-like richly detailed pen and ink illustration. They will practice counting big-city icons, such as pigeons, hotdogs, water towers and lanterns until at last – the boy and his dragon reunite. 

Absolutely One Thing

Grades: K-2

In this story, a big brother enlightens his little sister on different rules of numbers as they stroll through a toy store to pick out a toy. Younger readers, just beginning to have number sense will enjoy revising the younger sister’s skewed perspective on numbers. Older readers will join in on the calculations that the older brother comes up with to teach his younger sister, such as how many stickers does the younger sister have left after sticking one on her brother, one on her dog, two on her shoes, three on a tree and five on the pavement. (You won’t know until you read the book…!) There are lots of actual numbers in this book, but the colorful illustrations and funny, relatable plot make it a fast, enjoyable read for littles. 

Secret Coders #1: Get with the Program

Grades: 3-5

This adventure-filled graphic novel is the first in a series created by the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. It’s about a girl who starts experiencing weird things after attending a new school, Stately Academy, and teams up with the school’s basketball star to find out more about the school. The founder of the school leaves clues and puzzles to challenge his students and by following the characters through their adventures in trying to solve the mystery of Stately Academy, readers are introduced to the principles of programming through logic puzzles and robotics. 

Really Big Numbers

Grades: 6-8

In this book, complex ideas are revealed and explored through everyday patterns and objects via whimsical, geometric drawings. Through funny narration, readers go on a numerical journey that begins at the number one and goes through gigantic numbers, but not all the way through infinity. Many questions are left open ended and up for interpretation, which encourage readers to keep pondering and calculating, even after they finish the book. Some key math concepts that are practiced by readers are estimating and comparing and connecting new concepts to existing knowledge.

Hidden Figures: the American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

Grades: 9-12

This book is perhaps better known as a movie, but it is an excellent book too! It’s a feel good, inspirational pieces that tells the story of African-American women whose smarts, brains and tenacity helped launch NASA astronauts into orbit for the first time. Like many books, this has more depth than the film and illustrates the interconnections between math, professions and social history. This version is for older, more high school aged kids, but there is a young readers’ edition and a picture book version available for younger readers. 

These books are such a great way to supplement math and reading at home… and they’re a good reminder that math doesn’t have to be boring! Still, if your child is struggling and very down on math, please, take them into Mathnasium of Littleton for an assessment. It can be the single biggest thing that raises their confidence in school. We would love to help lead your child to success.