Searching for the wonder and joy of mathematics in books (this site will officially move to fairymathmother.com and will be no longer be active after May 25, 2023))
Tired of counting the days you've been in stuck at home during this global pandemic? Try counting some goats with your...ahem... kids. Didn't crack a smile at that last pun? Here's a counting book that is actually funny. Book Published in 2010 by Beach Lane Books, Let's Count Goats was written by author and educator Mem... Continue Reading →
Counting is a fascinating process to watch unfold. Picture books are a great way to share counting with a child. In the sharing process, the reader/co-reader (whether teacher or parent) is able to observe and reflect on how and whether a child participates in counting. We've already posted quite a few counting books on this... Continue Reading →
In Anno's Magic Seeds, the main character Jack receives a gift of two magic seeds from a wizard. He is instructed to eat one of the seeds (which will sustain him for an entire year) and plant the second seed. Jack's magic seed keeps growing and growing and growing. His magical crops grow quickly, first by ones, then by twos and faster and faster. "Though the story can be followed without any math skills beyond simple addition and subtraction, sharp witted-young readers will delight in the increasingly tricky arithmetic puzzles woven into text and illustrations."
I never would have guessed 15 years ago that I would STILL be learning about counting. But listening to children engage with simple prompts and carefully crafted images like in How Many? shows me there are deeper truths and things to be understood about counting and all K-12 mathematics learning. Thank you Christopher Danielson once again for providing a resource to wander and wonder with.
Sheep Won't Sleep: Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s was published in 2017 by Holiday House. Written by Judy Cox and illustrated by Nina Cuneo, this book's whimsical characters and gentle prose are perfect for inspiring colorful dreams and connection through counting before bedtime.
How many seeds in a pumpkin? provides practice in skip counting by twos, fives, and tens. The illustrations invite children to use multiple counting methods.
Math Book Magic 