Ten cats discover three cans of paint and blotches, splotches and splats go everywhere!
A funny exploration of colour from award-winning author/illustrator Emily Gravett, 10 Cats is a wonderfully simple and engaging picture book.
While learning about counting and colours, very young children will delight in the adorable kittens on every spread and the simple text that is perfect for reading aloud.
A wonderful and unique look at counting and friendship.
This very simple picture book is about two friends, Sue and Nick, who like very different things but are still best friends. They introduce us to all their favourite things from one boy called Nick and one girl called Sue to ten cakes for tea, and then all the way back down to one yellow moon shining in the night sky. The artwork is stunning with each artist contributing alternate pages in their own inimitable style. The deceptively simple text is perfect for children learning to read.
Double the numbers to go from 1 to 1,000,000 in 40 pages. A stunning visualization of numbers big and small.
We start with a single tree; 1. As we turn the page, we are presented with a sum doubling the number on the page before it: 1+1 = 2; 2+2 = 4; 4+4 = 8. In this way, we reach a million (actually 1,048,576) within 44 pages.
Each sum is brought to life with a simple graphic illustration in the distinctive style of Sven Völker. The dots form the back of a ladybird, the bubbles in a cup of soda and the water in a swimming pool. On each page, a single neon dot illustrates what one means in the context of the sum.
Gloriously simple in its concept and execution, this is a book that will bring mathematics alive to parents as well as children and will also make a stunning gift book.
Maths Picturebooks List
Picturebooks can provide an excellent way of engaging pupils with maths. On this booklist, we have picked a selection of the best maths-themed stories that open opportunities to explore a range of mathematical concepts. Many thanks to Year 1 teacher Dean Boddington for working together with us to create this selection of the best children’s books about maths topics.
The books on the maths booklist cover topics of counting, number concepts, shape, space, measure and problem solving.
This varied booklist includes showstoppers like How Many Jelly Beans?, stories about doubling like Centipede’s 100 Shoes or Double the Fun and stories with big number concepts like How Big is a Million?
We’ve also included stories about counting, like the beautifully illustrated Counting Creatures, shape and measure stories like The Perfect Fit and How Much Does a Ladybird Weigh?, and problem-solving favourites like 365 Penguins.
This is a book that helps younger children to visualise the larger numbers that intrigue them so much, through a cute and playful story about a curious penguin who wants to find out more about numbers. The book ends with a pull-out poster with one million stars in the night sky.
We know that certain animals are large or small, but how big exactly? Each page shows the actual size of an animal. Some easily fit on the page, others only manage an eye or a hand. A much-enjoyed book that leaves children in awe at the actual size of some animals, as it’s not often that we come face to face with the biggest beasts on earth! A high-interest link to topics of measurement or ratio.
There is so much to love about this book, which would be great to share individually or in small groups. Each page sparks a mathematical discussion about shapes in the context of the natural world. The collaged artwork is beautiful and the text is written in verse, giving the book an enthralling appeal to young readers and adults alike. The ‘Nature Notes’ at the end give extra information about all the animals featured in the book.
This is a Where’s Wally? style counting book. Follow the boy as he searches for his dragon and see if you can find and count all the objects that he encounters along the way. The simple black and white illustrations are striking against the coloured objects to spot and the map on the endpapers is useful for discussing number sequence. This is an enjoyable book to share and re-share that helps to develop early counting in EYFS and KS1.
This large book is a showstopper among maths picture books. Emma and Aidan are trying to decide how many jellybeans they need. As they compete, the numbers get larger. The book offers a fantastic visualisation of larger numbers, especially the fold out million jellybean crescendo. Perfect to share 1-on-1 but it would equally enthral an assembly hall full of children!
A funny story about a family who, on 1st January, start receiving a penguin each day through the post. There are mathematical challenges along the way that are suitable from Year 2 up to Year 6. Children will love listening to the story and pausing to calculate questions on a whiteboard too. With quirky and fun illustrations, this will quickly become a class favourite.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
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Curriculum links (if relevant)
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