The
articles in Exploring Math through
Literature touch on a wide array of children’s literature. The following
list arranges many of the articles by the genre of literature they include,
from books for beginning readers to novels to poetry. The final section
includes books with multicultural topics or settings.
Books for Beginning Readers
A Mathematical Exploration of Grandpa’s
Quilt
Grandpa’s Quilt,
written by Betso Franco and illustrated by Linda A. Bild
Algebra in the Pre-K–Curriculum?
Billy Goats and Bears Give Us the Answer
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, written and illustrated by Eric Carle
Animal Kingdom Comparisons
If You Hopped Like a Frog, written by David M. Schwartz and illustrated by James
Warhola
Exploring
Size with The Grouchy Ladybug
The
Grouchy Ladybug by
Eric Carle
Hungry for Early Spatial and Algebraic Reasoning
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, written and illustrated by Eric Carle
“I Know an Old Lady”: Using Children’s Literature to
Explore Patterns
There Was an Old
Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback
Posing Problems from Children’s Literature
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, written by Laura J. Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia
Bond
So, Here’s the Story
Time for Bed, written
by Mem Fox and illustrated by Jane Dyer
Six-Dinner Sid, written
and illustrated by Inga Moore
Counting and Number Books
Batty Functions: Exploring Quadratic Functions through Children’s
Literature
Bats on Parade,
written by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Bat Jamboree,
written by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
I Have the Answer; Who Has the
Question?
12 Ways to Get to 11,
written by Eve Merriam and illustrated by Bernie Karlin
Making a Million Meaningful
How
Much is a Million? written by David Schwartz, illustrated by
Steven Kellogg
If
You Made a Million, written by David Schwartz, illustrated by
Steven Kellogg
Meaningful Mathematical Representations and Early Algebraic
Reasoning
How Many Snails? A Counting Book, written by Paul Giganti, Jr. and illustrated by Donald Crews
The Thirteen Days of Halloween
The Thirteen Days of Halloween, written by Carol Greene and
illustrated by Tom Dunnington
What Children Taught Us about Rigor
You Can, Toucan, Math, written by David A. Adler and illustrated by Edward Miller
12 Ways to Get to 11, written by Eve Merriam and
illustrated by Bernie Karlin
One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab, written by April Pulley Sayre and
Jeff Sayre, and illustrated by Randy Cecil
Illustrated Books for Young Readers
Building Bridges to Spatial
Reasoning
Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing, written by April Jones Prince and illustrated by Francois
Roca
Building Mathematical Connections with Village of Round and Square Houses
The Village of Round and Square Houses, written and illustrated by Anne Grifalconi
Creating Numerical Scales for Measuring Tools
How Big Is a Foot? written
and illustrated by Rolf Myller
Gaining Insights into Children’s
Geometric Knowledge
The Greedy Triangle,
written by Marilyn Burns and illustrated by Gordon Silveria
Inchworm and
a Half: Developing Fraction and
Measurement Concepts Using Mathematical Representations
Inchworm and a Half,
written by Elinor Pinczes and illustrated by Randall Enos
Integrating Literature and Math
The Doorbell Rang! by Pat Hutchins
Probability: A Whale of a Tale
Dear Mr. Blueberry, written and illustrated by Simon James
Rethinking Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax—Mathematically
The Lorax, written by Theodor S. Geisel
Teaching Geometry and Measurement through Literature
A Cloak for the Dreamer,
written by Aileen Friedman and illustrated by Kim Howard
Spaghetti and Meatballs for All, written by Marilyn Burns and illustrated by Debbie Tilley
The Fly on the Ceiling,
written by Julie Glass and illustrated by Richard Walz
Teaching Measurement with Literature
Arithme-tickle, written by J. Patrick Lewis and
illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz
Inch by Inch, written and illustrated by Leo Lionni
Inchworm and a Half, written by Elinor Pinczes and
illustrated by Randall Enos
The Polar Express to Early Algebraic Thinking
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Thinking Algebraically across the
Elementary School Curriculum
Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! written by Marilyn Burns and illustrated by Debbie Tilley
Using Literature to Teach Factorials
Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar, written by Masaichiro Anno and Mitsumasa Anno
Using Representations to Explore Perimeter and Area
Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! A Mathematical Story, written by Marilyn Burns and illustrated by Deborah Tilley
Wondrous Tales of
Measurement
Twelve Snails to One Lizard: A Tale of Mischief and
Measurement, written by Susan Hightower and
illustrated by Matt Novak
How Big is A Foot?
written and illustrated by Rolf Myller
The Greedy
Triangle, written by Marilyn Burns and
illustrated by Gordon Silveria
Working Cotton: Toward an Understanding of Time
Working
Cotton,
written by Sherley Anne Williams and illustrated by Carole Byard
Chapter Books
First
Graders, Flies and a Frenchman’s Fascination: Introducing the Cartesian
Coordinate System
The Fly on the
Ceiling: A Math Myth, written by Julia Glass and
illustrated by Richard Walz
Integrating Literature and
Mathematics: A Mysterious Connection
Chasing Vermeer,
written by Blue Balliett and illustrated by Brett Helquist
Novels and Fantasy Literature
Exploring Proportional Reasoning through Movies and Literature
Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, written
by J. K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings, Part I: The Fellowship of the Ring, written by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men against the Sea,
written by Sebastian Junger
Galleons, Magic Potions, and Quidditch: The Mathematics of Harry
Potter
Books from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the
Coding of Secrets
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, written by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Magic
of Mathematics
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Hunger Games: What Are the Chances?
The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins
Using Literature to Engage Students in Proportional
Reasoning
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull
Jim and the Beanstalk by
Raymond Briggs
Poetry
Poetry in Motion: Using Shel Silverstein’s Works to Engage
Students Mathematically
“Eighteen
Flavors” and “One Inch Tall,” from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
“A Closet Full of Shoes,” from Falling Up by Shel Silverstein
The Missing Piece, written by Shel
Silverstein
Tales, Tasks, Tools, and Talk
“One
Inch Tall” from Where the Sidewalk Ends,
written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein
Great
Estimations, written by Bruce Goldstone
Greater Estimations, written by Bruce
Goldstone
Measuring Penny, written and
illustrated by Loreen Leedy
Books with Multicultural Topics or
Settings
Building the Mathematics and Literature Connection Through
Children’s Responses
One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi
Multicultural Literature as a Context for Mathematical Problem
Solving
The Black Snowman, written
by Phil Mendez and illustrated by Carole M. Byard
The Power of Two: Linking Mathematics and Literature
A Grain of Rice,
written and illustrated by Helena Clare Pittman
Two of Everything
Two of Everything:
A Chinese Folktale, written and illustrated by Lily Toy
Hong