Counting the Days

Wishful thinking on my part!
Graphics by Barrie Brewer at
DVCRequest.com

Do you count down the days to something special?  First day of school?  Christmas?  Last day of school?  Vacations?  How many more days?  How many more sleeps?  How long until we get there?  Counting down to Disney is my favorite!  That’s one of the things that we all do when we have a trip planned.  My friend, Barrie Brewer, just recently created the most wonderful Days to Disney graphics for David's Vacation Club Rentals. (Love my Disney friends!  Thank you, Barrie and David, for all you do!)  Counting down to  something special is fun for kids and grownups!  And counting down to Disney trips certainly makes me happy! 

For many of us it’s already back to school time.  So for a little mixture of fun and learning, let’s turn to books with a math theme.  There are many math themed books written for children with themes such as counting, telling time, measurement, shapes, etc.  The illustrators of many of the counting books use various media to produce excellent artwork to captivate the reader.  Some authors have written series of books that are especially appealing to children.  Author Jerry Pallotta has written many books, among them counting books and alphabet books.  They are always a favorite with children.  What child can resist a book called The Icky Bug Counting Book?  Delight your children by checking out Jerry Pallotta’s books.  Author Robert E. Wells has written 11 books in his science/math series explaining many topics.  My favorite is his Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? in which he compares the size of a blue whale to mountains, the Earth, the Sun,  etc.  Children love the illustrations and the opportunity to imagine the immensity of their world. 

Cat and dog lovers?  You are not forgotten.  Phyllis Limbacher Tildes’ Counting on Calico features delightful, colored pencil drawings of Calico and her kittens while counting through the pages and sharing facts about cats.  Loreen Leedy’s series about Penny the Boston Terrier are excellent.  Measuring Penny is my favorite.  Penny is even measured in dog biscuits!  Leedy has also written Mapping Penny and It’s Probably Penny. 

Visit your local or school library or bookstore for some of these wonderful math themed books for children.

My Top Favorites

A Cloak for a Dreamer by Aileen Friedman

Chicka Chicka 1 2 3 by Bill Martin, Jr.

Counting on Calico by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes

Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On by Lois Ehlert

How Big is a Foot? By Rolf Myller

Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? by Robert E. Wells (11 books in science/math series)

Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy (Also Mapping Penny and It’s Probably Penny)

One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor Pinczes

The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns

The Icky Bug Counting Book by Jerry Pallotta

The King’s Commissioners by Aileen Friedman

 

More Great Math Books

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

12 Ways to Get to 11 by Eve Merriam

26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana Hoban (Two books in one!)

Can You Count to Googol? By Robert E. Wells

Click Clack Splish Splash by Doreen Cronin

Each Orange Has 8 Slices by Paul Giganti, Jr.

Eating Fractions by Bruce Mc Millan

Emily’s First 100 Days of School by Rosemary Wells

Five Little Monkeys series by Eileen Christelow

Five Ugly Monsters by Tedd Arnold

From One to One Hundred by Teri Sloat (Lots of details for counting!)

How Many Feet?  How Many Tails? By Marilyn Burns

How Much is a Million by David M. Schwartz

How Much is That Guinea Pig in the Window? by Joanne Rocklin

Just a Minute by Teddy Slater

Just Enough Carrots by Stuart J. Murphy

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka (author of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man)

 

Mission Addition by Loreen Leedy

Monster Math by Grace Maccarone

Monster Math Picnic by Grace Maccarone

Monster Money by Grace Maccarone

Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Much Bigger Than Martin by Steven Kellogg

Stay in Line by Teddy Slater

Super Saturday Sand Castle by Stuart J. Murphy

Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss

Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

The 100th Day of School by Angela Shelf Medearis

The Giraffe Numbers Book by Gene Yates

The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang

 

So, as you count down to your next Disney trip, cultivate your math skills and reach for an enjoyable math book and share it with a child.  3…2…1… Go and read!