Exploring Math Through Picture Books: A Resource for Educators
This curated list of math picture books has been compiled to support educators in fostering a love of mathematics in young learners. Each book on this list presents mathematical concepts in engaging, visual, and story-driven ways, making complex ideas accessible and enjoyable for students. Whether you’re looking to introduce foundational skills, inspire problem-solving, or encourage mathematical thinking, these picture books offer rich opportunities for exploration. These selections are perfect for classroom use and provide a creative bridge between literacy and numeracy for early learners.
Just a few titles currently on display in our Collection Spotlight:
Counting in dog years and other sassy math poems
Betsy Franco, illustrated by Priscilla Tey.
Betsy Franco is back with a performance that explores a range of math topics–from fractions and time measurements to geometry and graphs–in a way that relates math to the daily lives of children. Illustrated by Priscilla Tey, whose clever mechanical “Numbots” guide readers through a surreal playground of calculated delights from multiplying mice to missing socks, from stinky scales to bug races.
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The girl with a mind for math: the story of Raye Montague written by Julia Finley Mosca; illustrated by Daniel Rieley.
This is a rhyming-text picture book about Raye Montague. After touring a German submarine in the early 1940s, young Raye set her sights on becoming an engineer. Little did she know sexism and racial inequality would challenge that dream every step of the way, even keeping her greatest career accomplishment a secret for decades. Through it all, the gifted mathematician persisted– finally gaining her well-deserved title in history: a pioneer who changed the course of ship design forever.
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written by Lizann Flatt, illustrated by Ashley Barron
What if animals and plants knew math, just like us? Would flowers bloom in patterns? Would raindrops fall in rhythm? Would birds balance evenly on branches? In this book, nature comes to life to help children grasp concepts of patterning, sorting, data management, and probability.
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Growing patterns: Fibonacci numbers in nature
written by Sarah C. Campbell, illustrated by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell
What’s the biggest mathematical mystery in nature? Fibonacci numbers! The pattern creeps up in the most unexpected places. It’s clear that math holds secrets to nature and that nature holds secret numbers.
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Mysterious patterns: Finding fractals in nature
written by Sarah C. Campbell, illustrated by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell
Nature’s repeating patterns, better known as fractals, are beautiful, universal, and explain much about how things grow. This book is an introduction to fractals through examples that can be seen in parks, rivers, and our very own backyards.
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A-b-a-b-a: A book of pattern play
written by Brian P. Cleary, illustrated by Brian Gable
The pictures and rhyming text in this book provide simple examples of repeating sequences of shapes, colours, objects, and more, helping readers learn how to find patterns in the world around them.
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by Emily Gravett
In Fibonacci’s Field, Lonely and Chalk Rabbit meet, snuggle together, and then spend a year trying to cope with their ever-increasing brood and the seasonal changes that bring a new challenge each month. By the end of the book, you’ll know how 1+1 can add up to 288.
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written by Ann McCallum, illustrated by Gideon Kendall
Rapidly multiplying rabbits are taking over the village of Chee, and soon there are so many that even the Pied Piper cannot get rid of them. A girl named Amanda discovers a pattern that leads to a way to make the rabbits leave.
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written by Joy N. Hulme, illustrated by Carol Schwartz
Count the petals on a flower or the peas in a peapod. The numbers are all part of the Fibonacci sequence. In this book, readers will discover this mysterious code in a special shape called an equiangular spiral, which appears throughout nature. A sundial shell curves to fit the spiral; so does a parrot’s beak, a hawk’s talon, and even our own human teeth.
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The Wing Wing brothers math spectacular!
by Ethan Long
Wilber, Wendell, Willy, Walter, and Woody really know how to put on a show – and their slapstick routine is also a math lesson. They introduce the concepts greater than, less than, and equal to as well as addition and subtraction.
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written by Lizann Flatt, illustrated by Ashley Barron
What if animals and plants knew math, just like you? Would leaves fall in patterns? Would whales enter a race? Nature in the fall comes to life to help children grasp concepts of number sense and numeration.
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Missing math: A number mystery
by Loreen Leedy
What happens when one day, all the numbers in town suddenly disappear? No one can count, use the phone, or find out what time it is. No one can use their computers, money, or rulers. Can the town detective solve the mystery?
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A place for Zero: A math adventure
written by Angelina Sparagna LoPresti, illustrated by Phyllis Hornung
Having nothing to bring to the game of Addemup, Zero cannot play with the rest of the players in Digitaria and so must come up with a clever plan that will let him play despite his numeric shortcomings.
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1+1=5: and other unlikely additions
written by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Brenda Sexton
Is the answer to 1+1 always 2? Not when you add 1 goat + 1 unicorn and get 3 horns, or 1 set of twins and 1 set of triplets and get 5 babies, or 1 ant and 1 spider and get 14 legs!
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Spaghetti and meatballs for all: A mathematical story
written by Marilyn Burns, illustrated by Deborah Tilley
Mr. and Mrs. Comfort have arranged tables and chairs to seat 32 people at their family reunion. But the guests have their own ideas for seating. How will the family make room for everyone?
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written by Becky Birtha, illustrated by Nicole Tadgell
During the Great Depression, Marshall uses the lessons he’s learned in arithmetic class and guidance from his mother to figure out how many beans are in a jar in order to win her a new sewing machine in a contest.
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written by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Todd McKie
Increasing numbers of rock-headed characters enjoy a variety of activities, each specific to the number on the page. Four rockheads play in a quartet, five make a basketball team, and nine play on a baseball team.
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written by Trisha Speed Shaskan, illustrated by Francesca Carabelli
What would you be like if you were a fraction? You’d be part of a set. You could be divided more than once. What else would you be if you were a fraction? (Part of the Math fun series)
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written by Lizann Flatt, illustrated by Ashley Barron
What if animals and plants knew math, just like us? Would snowflakes all fall from the same height in the sky? Would otters spread themselves evenly across lakes? Would groundhogs be aware of the date? In this wintry picture book, nature comes to life to help children grasp concepts of time and measurement.
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If you were a pound or a kilogram
written by Marcie Aboff, illustrated by Francesca Carabelli
If you were a pound or a kilogram, you would be the mass of things. You could be a sack of sugar, a basket of berries, or a heavy-duty truck. What else could you be if you were a pound or a kilogram? Part of the Math fun series.
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written by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Marvelosissimo the Magician is ready to explore length, weight, and volume measurements. How tall is Moonbeam, the unicorn? How long are Jello the cat’s whiskers? Tons and ounces and feet and miles … with millions of things to measure, wouldn’t one standard system be simpler? With another wave of the wand, Marvelosissimo introduces the world of metrics and makes it easy to understand the basic pattern of meters, liters, and grams.
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Zachary Zormer, shape transformer: A math adventure
written by Joanne Reisberg, illustrated by David Hohn
Friday is Zachary Zormer’s favorite day of the week. At least it is until he realizes he forgot this week’s assignment: “Bring in something fun to measure.” What can Zack do when all he has to work with is a piece of paper he finds in his pocket? Week after week Zack takes on a different math concept with surprising projects including a mobius strip, a paper frame large enough to step through, and a light show that demonstrates how the sun heats the earth.
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Magnus Maximus, a marvelous measurer
written by Kathleen T. Pelley, illustrated by S. D. Schindler
Magnus Maximus is a marvelous measurer. He measures wetness and dryness, nearness and farness, and everything in between. When a lion escapes from a traveling circus, Magnus and his trusty measuring tape come to the rescue. Now a hero, all is well until the day Magnus accidentally breaks his glasses, and he sees—for the first time—that he’s been missing out on life’s simple pleasures.
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written by Lizann Flatt, illustrated by Ashley Barron
What if animals and plants knew math, just like us? Would spiders draw pictures in their webs? Would narwhals sort blocks of ice by shape? Would insects know what’s above and what’s below? In this book, nature comes to life to help children grasp concepts of geometry, symmetry, and spatial sense.
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written by Molly Blaisdell, illustrated by Francesca Carabelli
What could you do if you were a quadrilateral? You could have four straight sides. You could be a checkerboard, a kite, or a yoga mat. What else could you be if you were a quadrilateral? Part of the Math fun series.
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What’s your angle, Pythagoras? A math adventure
written by Julie Ellis, illustrated by Phyllis Hornung
Young Pythagoras can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Every time he tries to help, people get angry. What’s a curious kid to do? On a trip to Egypt, Pythagoras’s curiosity helps him discover the secret of the right triangle.
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Sir Cumference and the great knight of Angleland: A math adventure
written by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Wayne Geehan
To earn his knighthood, Radius must find and rescue a missing king. His father, Sir Cumference, and his mother, Lady Di of Ameter, give him a circular medallion (a protractor) that he uses to find his way through a maze of many angles.
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Circles, stars, and squares: Looking for shapes
by Jane Brocket
Through vivid photographs, young readers can explore the difference between flat and solid shapes, and identify objects with these different shapes, including rectangular bricks and cube-shaped candies.
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by Tania Howells
Shapes play supporting roles in the world around us, but which one will be the star of Shapeston Elementary School’s play? Triangle has experience as a traffic sign, and Square moonlights as a postage stamp. Circle has been a lemon slice, Rectangle the cover of a magazine and Diamond a kite, while Oval has played a surfboard. Who gets the big role?
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written by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, illustrated by Lynn Adams
Grandpa has a surprise for Tim, Anne, and Gordon – chickens! Now, where should they put the chickens and their new home? Each time they move the fence, the coop becomes a different shape, but the perimeter stays the same. Can they figure it out? Part of the Math matters series.