Book Finder

Readers are asked to count to one. Just one elephant. Just one sausage (on a whale’s spout, with a second whale nearby). Just one fly (atop 3 bowls of soup). Sly humor on each colorful page will have young readers chortling and counting beyond just one!

After Josh receives a strange rock from his uncle, he consults a rock shop owner expert to learn about his unusual gift. Josh notices that the store’s display window features stones arranged by size, and as his knowledge of geology grows, he sees the classification schemes in the window becoming more and more complex. 

Learn the units of measure (including the metric system) by comparing the lengths to fingers, arms, feet, and other body parts. You’ll find lots of examples of how we use measurement in everyday activities as well as hands-on activities, such as asking the reader to see how tall you are using units of measure from ancient Egypt.

Lisa has an important homework assignment — to measure something in several different ways. She has to use standard units like inches and nonstandard units like paper clips to find out height, width, length, weight, volume, temperature, and time. Lisa decides to measure her dog, Penny, and finds out … Penny’s nose = 1 inch long, Penny’s tail = 1 dog biscuit long, and Penny’s paw print = 3 centimeters wide … and that’s only the beginning! Lisa learns a lot about her dog and about measuring, and even has fun doing it.

Two friends practice their estimating skills on their way to a store that’s having a contest to figure out how many jellybeans are in the jar. 

A Siberian tiger cub named T.J., born at the Denver Zoo, is orphaned when he is only a few weeks old. The veterinary staff raises him, feeding him by hand until he is able to eat on his own and return to the tiger exhibit. The story is accompanied by four different types of graphs (picture, circle, bar, and line) that display information about the numbers and types of tigers in the wild, how much T.J. is eating, and his weight compared with other tigers. This is a good introduction to how charts and graphs are used in the real world. 

The O’Malley family is off to the beach, but it’s a long, hot, boring drive. What can Eric, Bridget, and Nell do to keep busy? Play tally games, of course — counting up all the gray cars or green T-shirts they see. Whoever has the most marks at the end wins the game. This is a great picture book for teaching data collection and tallying. It also gives kids a head start in counting by fives and is a good basis for charts and graphs.

Four best friends start a lemonade business and make a bar graph to chart their growing sales. After three days the friends notice that their sales suddenly drop and investigate to find out why. After discovering that the competition is a new kid with a great juggling act just down the street, they ask him to perform beside the lemonade stand and then watch sales increase “over the top.”

Chester the snail sets up a contest between his friends Gonk the toad and Beezy the lizard to see who can make the best graph. Points will be given for correct math, creativity, and neatness. Beezy and Gonk explore information collection (tallies and surveys) and the use of graphic organizers (Venn diagrams, quantity graphs, circle graphs, picture graphs, and bar graphs). In the end, kids can look at Chester’s graphically designed score sheet and see that the result is a tie.

Cheery illustrations in a sturdy format present a mouse and companions as they explore various concepts, each appropriate and engaging for young children. The clever use of die-cuts and a bit of story creates playful books that are worth revisiting. See also: Little Mouse Learns Numbers (opens in a new window), Little Mouse Learns Shapes (opens in a new window), and Little Mouse Learns Colors (opens in a new window).

Count up to ten and back down again to the tune of “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” while learning about the traditions that make Diwali a fun-filled festival! Celebrated during autumn harvest, Diwali symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. From sweet treats to intricate henna designs to exciting firework displays, young readers will get a vibrant glimpse into the Festival of Lights.

Sturdy, split pages encourage children to play and laugh as new critters are created. Young readers will want to count everything from smiles to whiskers with each turn of a whole or half page.  

Count along with the families as they make dumplings from their own culture and share them as a community. The rhyming tale can be shared on several levels with children of various ages, from the youngest to cooks who want to try their hand at the recipes included.

Groups of animals are introduced ranging from a party of jays to a camp of bats. With a turn of the page, a sprightly, detailed illustration interprets the word literally on double page spreads. The result is a humorous but informative look at words, their various meanings, all while building vocabulary.

Comical, colorful critters from one to 12 are illustrated. Cardinal numbers in both word and symbol are presented on sturdy double pages. Equally humorous are Animal Colors (opens in a new window) which looks at color while Animal ABC (opens in a new window) provides a bit of animal information along with the alphabet. 

There’s more to this book than first meets the eye. Travel the world, meet various animals, name them, and count them. Then look closely at each image to see (intricately presented) the wildlife contained in each shape.

Two dogs on a trike turn into three dogs on a scooter until they get to 10 on yet another vehicle then back again to one. Is the tenth dog really a canine or could it be the feline who goes off on a trike? Animated illustrations and a rhyming narrative make a memorable counting adventure.

One “famished fox “with 2 “sly eyes” and 10 “sharp teeth” gradually creeps up to an unsuspecting hen house. Suddenly, with feathers flying, “100 angry hems” scare off one “frightened fox.” Brief text and dramatic illustrations combine to present a tense, humorous, and very satisfying story combined with counting from 1 to 10.

A dog holds its human’s one shoe in preparation for a walk. Many types of shoes are seen from the dog’s perspective — including shoes that provide a house for a mouse. Mice multiply, and once dog and person go for another walk, the mice play on roller skates. Mixed-media illustrations and staccato language make this ripe for a lively read aloud.

Playful illustrations in brilliant colors depict charming, expressive, almost childlike but recognizable animals. Numerals accompanied by one word on each sturdy, double-page spread encourage counting from 1 belly (on a teddy bear) to an alligator’s 10 teeth. An endnote offers concrete ideas for adults to encourage counting beyond the pages of this engaging book.

As in her other books, the author presents counting from one to ten (in numerals as well as Spanish and English words) in the context of a fiesta! Colorful illustrations and rhyming text create a dynamic book to share aloud and perhaps inspire a party!

Join the countdown of stomping dinosaurs from five to zero. Each numeral remains on double page spreads visible through die-cuts until the final pages where children are stomping in front of a skeleton in a museum. Dinosaurs depicted are identified at the very end.

Open this book to discover that “science + poetry = surprise!” — one describes why while the other presents wonder. Encounter spring’s wonder and why in this handsomely illustrated introduction to “equation poems.”

The class homework assignment is to draw “12 things, but in sets.” How the kids do it is up to them. Annamarie decides to present 3 types of music represented by 4 instruments each while classmates do it in different, creative ways. This clever presentation is both reading and math (and maybe music) made clear in easy graphic format.