Math and Literature: Perfect Together!
Goldilocks invited the three bears and the three pigs for breakfast.
How many bowls of porridge did she make?
Teachers often introduce or review a math concept by reading a story to the class. This enjoyment of literature helps children view math learning in a positive, meaningful way. Here are some of my favorite "math" stories. Book titles have been grouped according to math topics. Have fun!
Counting & Number Sense
Mouse Count, Ellen Stoll Walsh
How Much Is A Million?, Schwartz
12 Ways To Get To 11, Eve Merriam
Mission Addition, Loreen Leedy
At the Edge of the Woods, by Cynthia Cotten
Just Enough Carrots, Stuart Murphy
Mice Twice, Joseph Low
Bunches and Bunches of Bunnies, Matthews
Two Ways to Count to Ten, Ruby Dee
Counting Crocodiles, Judy Sierra
One Grain of Rice, Demi
The M&M's Brand Counting Book, Barbara Barbieri McGrath
More Than One, Miriam Schlein
What Comes In 2's, 3's, 4's?, Suzanne Aker
One Red Rooster, Kathleen Carrol
One Hungry Cat, Joanne Rocklin (math activities by Marilyn Burns)
Two Crazy Pigs, Karen Berman Nagel
One Little Elephant, Colin West
One of Each, Mary Ann Hoberman
How Many Feet? How Many Tails? A Book of Math Riddles, Marilyn Burns
Monster Math, Grace Maccarone
The Baseball Counting Book, Barbara McGrath
Fair Share & Fractions
Eating Fractions, Bruce McMillan
Jump, Kangaroo, Jump, Stuart J. Murphy
Fraction Fun , David A. Adler
The Doorbell Rang, Pat Hutchins
Give Me Half!, Stuart Murphy
Fraction Action, Loreen Leedy
Pigs in the Pantry , Amy Axelrod
Each Orange Had 8 Slices, Paul Giganti
The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book, Jerry Pallotta
Gator Pie, Louise Mathews
Geometry & Spatial Sense
Grandfather Tang's Story, Ann Tompert
The Quilt, Ann Jonas
The Greedy Triangle, Marilyn Burns
The Silly Story of Goldie Locks and the Three Squares, Grace Maccarone (math activities by Marilyn Burns)
Measurement
How Big Is a Foot?, Rolf Myller
Inch by Inch, Leo Lionni
Jim and the Beanstalk, Raymond Briggs
Mirette on the High Wire, Emily Arnold
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure, Cindy Neuschwander
Money
Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday, Judith Viorst
Jelly Beans For Sale, Bruce McMillan
A Chair For My Mother,Vera B. Williams
Let's Find Out About Money, Kathy Barabas
Pigs Will be Pigs: Fun With Math and Money, Amy Axelrod
Patterns and Sequencing
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?, Nancy White Carlstrom
The Napping House, Audrey Wood
Why Mosquitos Buzz In Peoples' Ears, retold by Vera Aardema
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
The Little Red Hen, pictures by Lucida Moore
Place Value
The Wolf's Chicken Stew, Keiko Kasza
How Much Is A Million?, Schwartz
One Hundred Hungry Ants, Elinor Pinczes
The King's Commissioners, Aileen Friedman
The 100th Day of School, Angela Sheaf Medearis
Problem Solving and Probability
Round Trip, Ann Jonas
Sea Squares, Jay Hulme
Jumanji, Chris Van Allsburg
Purple, Green, and Yellow, Robert Munsch
Jesse Bear, What will You Wear? , Nancy White Carlstrom
No Fair!, Caren Holtzman & Marilyn Burns
Telling Time
Time To …, Bruce McMillan
The Grouchy Ladybug, Eric Carle
What Time Is it?, Judith Grey
Bats Around the Clock, Kathi Appelt
Telling Time With Big Mama Cat, Dan Harper
Just A Minute, Teddy Slater (math activities by Marilyn Burns)
8 O'Cluck, Jill Creighton