Ontario Association of Mathematics Educators (OAME)
List of Children’s Picture Books Related to Geometry and Spatial Sense (K-3)
Author / Title / Publisher / ISBNProperties of Geometric Shapes and Figures
Adler, David / Shape Up! / Holiday House; 2000 / 0823416380
Baker, Alan / Brown Rabbit’s Shape Book / Kingfisher;1999 / 0753452553
Barner, Bob / Space Race / Bantam / 0553375679
Birmingham, David / Look Twice / Tarquin, 1991 / 0906212863
Burke, Jennifer / Rectangles / Scholastic / 0516230778
Brown, Margaret Wise / The Important Book. / Harper Trophy, 1949/1977 / 0-06-443227-0
Browne, Anthony / The Shapes Game / Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1 American edition 2003 / 0374367647
Burns, Marilyn / The Greedy Triangle / Scholastic, Inc. 1994 / 0590489917
Crosbie, Michael J., / Arches to Zigzags: An Architecture ABC / Harry N Abrams; 2000 / 0810942186
Crosbie, Michael J., / Architecture Shapes / John Wiley & Sons; 1995 / 0471143669
Carle, Eric / My Very First Book of Shapes / New York: Crowell, 1974 / 0694000132
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai and Ferrari, Maria / What is Round? / Scholastic / 043915944X
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai and Ferrari, Maria / What is Square? / Scholastic / 0439159458X
Dodds, Dayle Ann / The Shape of Things / Candlewick 1996 / 1564026981
Falwell, Cathryn / Shape Space / Clarion / 0395613051
Eberts, Marjorie / Pancakes, Crackers and Pizzas A Book of Shapes / Scholastic / 0516420631
Ehlert, Lois / Color Farm / New York, NY: J. B. Lippincott, 1990 / 0-397-32440-5
Emberly, Ed / The Wing on a Flea / Scholastic / 0316234877
Fox, Mem / The Straight Line Wonder / Mondo Publishing; 1996) / 1572552050
Goble, Paul / Star Boy / Bradbury / 0689714998
Greene, Rhona Gowler / When a Line Bends . . . . A Shape Begins / Houghton Mifflin; Reprint edition, 2001 / 0618152415
Grifalconi, Ann / The village of Round and Square Houses / Brown Little / 0316328626
Grover, Max / Circles and Squares Everywhere / Harcourt / 0152000917
Henke, Kevin / Circle Dogs / HarperTrophy; Reprint edition 2001 / 0064437574
Hoban, Tana / Shapes, Shapes, Shapes / Greenwillow / 0688147402
Hoban, Tana / Circles, Triangles and Squares / Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1974 / 0027448304
Hoban, Tana / Cubes, Cylinders, Spheres / Greenwillow / 0688153259
Hoban, Tana / So Many Circles, So Many Squares / Greenwillow / 0688151655
Hoban, Tana / Shapes, Shapes, Shapes / HarperTrophy; 1996 / 0688147402
Hutchins, Pat / Changes, Changes / The Macmillan Company, 1971 / 0-02-745870-9
Isaacson, Philip / Round Building, Square Buildings and Buildings That Wiggle Like a Fish / Knopf Books for Young Readers; 2001 / 0394893824
Johnson, Crockett / Harold and the Purple Crayon / HarperTrophy; 1981 / 0064430227
Klove, Lars / I See a Sign / Aladdin / 0689808003
Kohn, Bernice / Everything has a Shape and Everything has a Size / Englewoods Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1964 / 0-13-293548-1
Lily, Melinda / Shapes for Lunch! (Mini Bites) / Price Stern Sloan; Board edition;1998 / 0843178221
MacCarone, Grace / Three Pigs, One Wolf and Seven Magic Shapes / Scholastic / 0590-30857-2
MacDonald, Suse / Sea Shapes / Voyager Books;1998 / 0152017003
Mills, Andy / Shapesville / Gurze Books; 2003 / 0936077476
Moncure, Jane / Four Magic Boxes / Childs World; 1978) / 089565007X
Murphy, Stuart / Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes / HarperTrophy; 2001 / 0064467317
Murphy, Stuart / Circus Shapes / Harper Collins Publishers (MathStart), 1998 / 0-06-446713-9
Murphy, Stuart / Let’s Fly a Kite / HarperTrophy; 2000 / 0064467376
Musgove, Margaret & Carins, Julia / The Spider Weaver: A Legend of Kente Cloth / New York: NY: Blue Sky Press, 2001 / 0-590-09898-9
Piggot, Dawn / Gregory and the Magic Line / Dolphin Book Co.; 2004 / 1842552783
Podendorf, Illa / Shapes, Sides, Curves, and Corners / Children’s Press / 0516015559
Rau, Dana / Circle City / Scholastic / 0516-26542-3
Read, Margarette / The Button Box / Puffin Books; Reprint edition;1995 / 0140554955
Reynolds, Peter / The Dot / Candlewick Press (MA); 2003 / 0763619612
Roemer, Heidi / Come to my Party and Other Shape Poems / Henry Holt & Co. / 0805066209
Ross, Catherine Sheldrick / Squares
(non-fiction resource) / Kids Can Press; 1996 / 1-55074-273-6
Serfozo, Mary / There’s a Square: A Book About Shapes / Scholastic / 0590544268
Sharman, Lydia / The Amazing Book of Shapes / Richmond Hill, ON: Scholastic Canada, Ltd, 1994 / 0-590-24306-3
Thong, Roseanne / Round is a Mooncake / Chronicle Books / 0811826767
Wegman, William / Square, Triangle, Circle / Hyperion; Board edition 1995) / 0786801042
Wynne-Jones, Tim / Architect of the Moon / Groundwood Books; 1998 / 0888991509
Ziefert, Harriet / Squarehead / Houghton Mifflin/ Walter Lorraine Books; 2001) / 0618083782
Geometric Relationships
Bourgeois, Paulette / Oma’s Quilt / Kids Can Press;2001 / 1-55337-625-0
Brumbeau, Jeff / The Quiltmaker’s Gift / Scholastic; 2001 / 1570251991
Dr. Seuss / The Shape of Me / Random House Books for Young Readers; Board edition, 1997 / 0679886311
Ernst, Lisa Campbell / Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt / William Morrow, 1983 / 0688015174
Falwell, Cathryn / Shape Space / Clarion. 1992 / 0395613051
Friedman, Aileen / A Cloak for the Dreamer / Scholastic, Inc.;1994 / 0590489879
Hoban, Tana / Look Again / S & S; 1971 / 0027440508
Hoban, Tana / Look, Look, Look / Greenwillow
Jonas, Ann / The Quilt / Greenwillow / 0140553088
MacCarone, Grace / The Silly Story of Goldie Locks and the Three Squares / Scholastic, Inc., 1996 / 0-590-54344-x
Pallotta, Jeremy / The Icky Shape Book / Scholastic; 2004) / 0439389186
Paul, Ann Whitford / Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet / Harper Collins Publishers, 1991. / 0-06-443464-8
Paul, Ann Whitford / The Seasons Sewn: A Year in Patchwork. / Harcourt, Inc., 1996. / 0-15-202107-8
Pilegard, Virginia Walton (2000) / The Warlord’s Puzzle / Gretna, Luisiana
Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. / 1-56554495-1
Polacco, Patricia / The Keeping Quilt / Simon & Schuster, 1988 / 0671649639
Smucker, Barbara / Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt / Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited, 1995. / 0-7737-5837-2
Smucker, Barbara / Selina and the Shoo-Fly Pie / Stoddart Kids, 1998 / 0-7737-3018-4
Steele, Margaret / The Art of Shapes: For Children and Adults / Moca Store; Board edition; 1997 / 0914357506
Testa, Fulvio. / If You Look Around You / New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1987 / 0803704321
Tompert, Ann / Grandfather Tang’s Story / New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1990 / 0517885581
Location and Movement
Birmingham, David / “M” is for Mirror / Tarquin, 1988 / 0906212669
Ernst, Lisa Campbell (2004) / The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book / New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers / 0-689-85685-7
Fanelli, Sara / My Map Book / HarperCollins; 1995 / 0060264551
Hartman, Gail / As The Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps / Aladdin;1993 / 0689717628
Hindley, Judy / Wheeling and Whirling Around Book / Candlewick / 1564024903
Hoban, Tana / All About Where / Greenwillow; 1991 / 0688096972
Hoban, Tana / Look Up, Look Down / Greenwillow;1992 / 0688105785
Hoban, Tana / Over, Under and Through / Aladdin; Reprint edition; 1987 / 0689711115
Hutchins, Pat / Rosie’s Walk / Aladdin;1971 / 0020437501
Jonas, Ann / Reflections / Greenwillow Books, 1987 / 0688061400
Jonas, Ann / Round Trip / Scholastic 1990 / 0688099866
Leedy, Loreen / Mapping Penny’s World / Owlet Paperbacks; 2003 / 0805072624
McMillan, Bruce / Mouse Views What the Class Pet Saw / Holiday House / 082341132X
Walter, Marion / The Second Magic Mirror Book / Scholastic Ltd: 1984* / 0590703900
Walter, Marion / The Mirror Puzzle Book / Tarquin Publications, 1985. / 0 906212 39 1
The titles listed above have explicit connections to Geometry and Spatial Sense. Using other picture books to provide students with more experience with geometry concepts in other contexts adds depth to their understanding of the concepts. For example:
1. Students can use a pattern book such as The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown (Harper Trophy, 1949/1977 0-06-443227-0) to make a book about the important properties of shapes.
2. Stories such as The Lost Button in the book Frog and Toad Are Friends (The Lost Button) by Arnold Loebel (Scholastic, Inc., 1970 0-590-04529-6) and Big Bad Wolf by Claire Masurel, Melissa Iwai (Cartwheel Books, 2002, 0439282438) provide opportunities for students to use attributes and properties in descriptions.
3. While the language of properties and attributes are not used, students study “characteristics” of matter such as water and air in the Science and Technology curriculum. Non-fiction texts such as A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick (Scholastic (April 1, 1997) ISBN: 0590221973) can help students develop understanding of properties.
Ontario Association of Mathematics Educators (OAME)
List of Children’s Picture Books Related to Geometry and Spatial Sense (K-3)
Teacher’s Resources – Mathematics and Children’s Picture Books
Author & (Date) / Title / Publisher / ISBNBurns, Marilyn / Math and Literature (K-3) Book One* / Sausolito, CA:
Math Solutions Publications; 1992 / 0201-87201-3
Burns, Marilyn and Sheffield, Stephanie / Math and Literature, Grades K-1 / Math Solutions Publications;2004 / 0-941355-66-7
Burns, Marilyn and Sheffield, Stephanie / Math and Literature, Grades 2-3 / Math Solutions Publications;2004 / 0-941355-67-5
Confer, Chris / Math by All Means: Geometry, Grades 1-2
Lessons based on the book, A Cloak for a Dreamer / Math Solutions Publications / 0-941355-08-X
House, Peggy A. / Connecting Mathematics Across the Curriculum / NCTM 1995 / 0-87353-394-1
Hurst, Carol Otis and Otis, Rebecca
SRA Media / Picturing Math / SRA 1996 / 0-02-687367-2
Kallevig, Christine Petrell / Fold Along Stories: Quick and Easy Origami Tales for Beginners / Storytime Ink International; 2001 / 0962876992
Lima, Carolyn W. and Lima, John A. (19898) / A to Zoo, Subect Access to Children’s Picture Books / New York: R. R. Bowker
Peterson, Jamee / Math and Non-Fiction,
K-2 / Math Solutions Publications; 2004 / 0-941355-61-6
Rectanus, Cheryl / Math by All Means: Geometry, Grades 3-4
One lesson is based on the book, The Greedy Triangle / Sausolito, CA: Math Solutions Publications; / 0-941355-10-1
Round the Rug Math / Tan and the Shape Changer
Teeny Visits Shapeland / Wright Group / 0322083427
0322083354
Schiro, Michael / Integrating Children’s Literature and Mathematics in the Classroom / Teachers College Press / 0807735647
Thiessen, Diane / Exploring Mathematics through Literature: Articles and lessons for prekindergarten through grade 8 / Reston, VA: NCTM; 2004 / 0-87353-439-5
Thiessen, Diane and Matthias, Margaret / Wonderful World of Mathematics: A critically annotated list of children’s books in mathematics / Reston, VA: NCTM; 1998 ( second edition) / 0-87353-439-5
Welchman-Tischler, Rosamond / How to use children’s literature to teach mathematics / Reston, VA: NCTM; 1992 / 0-87353-349-6
Whitlin, David J., and Wilde, Sandra / It’s the Story That Counts / Heinemann 1995 / 0-435-08369-4
Whitlin, David J., and Wilde, Sandra / Read Any Good Math Lately? / Heinemann 1992 / 0-435-08334-1