The Biggest List of the Best Math Picture Books EVER
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Ready for the biggest list of math picture books? Because I’ve found SO MANY amazing books, I can hardly wait to tell you about them!
Use these at home, in the classroom, or with your homeschool. You’ll discover books about counting, addition, subtraction, number sense, the 100th day, sorting, fractions, division, geometry, problem-solving, money, telling time, multiplication, and algebra.
Three cheers for math!
Table of Contents
Counting Books
One Big Pair of Underwear by Laura Gehl & Tom Lichtenheld
HAHA — this is the silliest “counting” picture book you’ll read! It’s counting, subtracting, and patterns silliness that your kids will adore.
Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell
Count your way from one to ten as this family gets ready for dinner including shopping and cooking the food.
1 Big Salad: a Delicious Counting Book by Juana Medina
You’ll love the clever creations Medina makes with vegetables — 1 avocado deer and 2 radish mice, just to name a few.
Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno
Quack and Count by Keith Baker
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
Bold graphic images help children find the black dots from one to ten in different images. Fun!
How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti, illustrated by Yancey Labat
What’s more relatable than candy? and brightly colored illustrations? This tasty book about large numbers is pitch-perfect.
How Many Bugs in a Box by David A. Carter
We love this engaging book. Lift the flaps and see what pops out!
Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Annie Kubler, illustrated by Tina Freeman
Rhyme and count with these naughty monkeys.
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
The snake wants to count the mice — for his dinner. Count up and count down.
Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert Count the brightly colored fish from one to ten.
Counting Crocodiles by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Monkey counts to ten and back as she bravely faces the crocodile-infested waters in order to get to a banana tree.
The 100th Day Books
100th Day Worries by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Arthur Howard
Alice needs to find 100 things to bring for the 100th day — but she’s having lots of trouble deciding what.
The Night Before the 100th Day of School by Natasha Wing
What is he going to bring for the 100th day of school? You’ll love this delightful rhyming book.
Miss Kindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day by Joseph Slate, illustrated by Ashley Wolff
It’s not only the kids that get to bring 100 things to school, Miss Bindergarten is getting together 100 things, too.
Sir Cumference and All the King’s Tens by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Wayne Geehan
Learn about counting by tens as the queens plan a special birthday surprise for the king.
Number Sense Books
Grapes of Math by Greg Tang and Harry Briggs
Fun and rhyming riddles to help kids learn problem-solving strategies.
One Odd Day by
Learn about odd and even numbers with this silly story about a boy who discovers that everything in his life is ODD! (Also read: My Even Day and My Half Day.)
Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On by Kari Lynn Winters, Lori Sherritt-Fleming, Peggy Collins These are cute, rhyming math poems about shapes, counting, and money.
Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
Just like numbers, ideas are infinite. This is fun story of making the challenging concept of infinity more understandable.
Even Steven and Odd Todd by Kathryn Cristaldi
Even Steven is all about, you guessed it, even-numbered things. Then one day, his cousin Odd Todd comes to visit. Which terrifies Even Steven. Because even Odd Todd knocks in odd numbers. . .
The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heligman
Learn about a boy who loved numbers and was known as The Magician from Budapest in this playful mathematical biography.
Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers by Johnny Ball
Learn more about the numbers in our everyday life, their purpose, and history. Then try some of the fun number magic tricks, puzzles, and activities.
365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Frontal
Penguins are arriving every single day at their doorstep. What are they doing to do?!
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin by Margaret McNamara Skip count and estimate with pumpkins.
Bedtime Math by Laura Overdeck and Jim Paillot
This is a fun book that offers 100 math riddles, each with adaptations for young kids and bigger kids.
Telling Time Books
Telling Time with Big Mama Cat by Dan Harper
Follow along with the daily schedule and use the movable hands to practice telling time.
Telling Time by Jules Older, illustrated by Megan Halsey
Learn about the different measurements of time (seconds, minutes), go through a day and take mini-quizzes to figure out how much you’re learning.
What Time Is It Mr. Crocodile by Judy Sierra
This funny book is all about Mr. Crocodile’s schedule which includes finding and catching some pesky monkeys.
Addition and Subtraction Books
Pigeon Math by Asia Citro, illustrated by Richard Watson
Hilarious! Addition and subtraction never felt so fun!! An increasingly exasperated narrator is TRYING to tell the story about ten pigeons but it’s not going well. Visual support, goofy humor, and plenty of kid-appeal make this a 100% must-own, must-read STEM picture book.
What’s New at the Zoo? by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Joan Waites
Add the baby animals with the grown-ups to see how many all together.
100 Snowmen by
10 Gulab Jamuns: Counting with an Indian Sweet Treat by Sandhya Acharya, illustrated by Vanessa Alexandre
A loving family shares a favorite cultural sweet treat and practices counting and subtracting in this beautifully written, Indian-flavored math story! Mama makes 10 gulab jamuns for guests. But, one child eats three. Now there are only 7 for the guests. And another child eats 3 more. Now there are only 4 left. Mamma wonders how she will have time to make more treats for her guests. The kids will help her make them!
The Chicken Problem by Jennifer Oxley, illustrated by Billy Aronson
This is a Peg and Cat picture book story their perfect picnic that goes totally crazy with runaway chickens. Peg is “totally freaking out” and needs to get the one hundred chickens back in the coop. Peg and Cat must solve the chicken problem fast. I love the illustrations, the problem-solving characters, and the silly story.
Comic Book Math ~ Fun-Schooling Journal: Adding, Writing & Subtracting Gamesby Sarah Janisse Brown
Use your imagination and practice math skills in a fun way.
If You Were a Plus Sign by Trisha Speed Shaskan, illustrated by Francesca Carabelli A whimsical book about addition and the power of the plus sign.
Elevator Magic by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Subtract your way through this goofy story about an elevator going down.
Math Fables: Lessons That Count by Greg Tang, illustrated by Heather Cahoon
Animal stories help kids learn the basics of putting numbers in groups and taking numbers away.
Animals on Board by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by R. W. Alley
Count and add the animals on the back of the trucks.
Ten for Me by Barbara Mariconda, illustrated by Sherry Rogers
Go on a butterfly addition hunt and see who will win.
Monster Musical Chairs by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by Scott Nash
When the music stops, someone is out. Subtract to see how many are left.
Tally O’Malley by Stuart J. Murphy
The O’Malleys pass the time on a long car trip by counting up different color cars using tally marks. The winner is the one who tallies the most.
Arithmechicks Take Away: A Math Story by Ann Marie Stephens, illustrated by Jia Liu It’s bedtime but the chicks and a mouse don’t want to go to sleep–so they hide. Can you subtract along with the story as they find hiding places? Then, help Mama count as she finds them all and puts them to bed. The back pages show the math strategies that the books use to subtract — decompose, ten frame, fingers, count back, number band, number line, equation, and draw a picture. This story is a darling, must-own book for primary classrooms, in particular kindergarten and first grade.
Sorting and Pattern Books
Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers by Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
To celebrate the Raksha Bandham holiday, Bina makes bracelets for her brothers meant to keep them safe. First, she surveys her brothers’ preferences for colors. Then, she makes bracelets with their favorite colors in patterns by problem-solving. Gorgeous artwork and likable main characters make this math-infused story a fun way to learn.
Sorting by Henry Arthur Pluckrose
This gives kids photographs from which they can make decisions about sorting. Use with actual physical objects to make the lessons more concrete.
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnesc, illustrated by John O’ Brien
Fibonacci sees patterns in nature and develops the Fibonacci Sequence.
Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
Learn about all the spirals in nature.
Sort it Out! by Barbara Mariconda, illustrated by Sherry Rogers
What groups can you sort out of Packy the Packrat’s stuff?
Measurement Books
Lia and Luis Who Has More by Ana Crespo, illustrated by Giovana Medeiros
Set in Brazil, these siblings wonder who has more snacks. Lia has two and Luis has 100 but it’s not that simple. First, they weigh their snacks and then determine who has more — and how they can make it equal so they can both have an equal share. A lovely introduction to Brazilian words and foods and measurement.
Fannie in the Kitchen: The Whole Story from Soup to Nuts of How Fannie Farmer Invented Recipes with Precise Measurements by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter Kitchen measurements equal delicious foods.
Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy
Lisa loves measurement so she starts measuring her dog, Penny.
How Big is a Foot by Rolf Myller
The king needs to figure out how big of a bed to make for his queen. This introduces standardizing measurements.
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
An inchworm shows the bird why he shouldn’t be eaten — because he can measure anything!
Multiplication Books
Amanda Bean’s Amazing Dream by Cindy Neuschwander Amanda learns that multiplication is the fastest way to count.
Kings Chessboard by David Birch, illustrated by Devis Grebu The king agrees to double the amounts given to a wise man and learns a valuable lesson about multiplication.
Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin by Pam Calvert and Wayne Geehan
This is a fun multiplication story about mischievous Rumplestiltskin and his multiplication stick.
One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi
Gorgeous illustrations illustrate this fable about a smart girl who outsmarts a king.
Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masaichiro Anno and Mitsumasa Anno
This is an introduction to multiplication and factorals.
Division and Fraction Books
Spaghetti And Meatballs For All! by Marilyn Burns and Debbie Tilley
Yummy! It’s time for spaghetti. But how much does everyone get to eat?
The Lion’s Share by Matthew McElligott
The shared meal keeps getting divided in half leaving only a crumb for the ant. So she and the other guests bake cakes for the king. Which they have to divide.
Whole-y Cow! Fractions are Fun by Taryn Souders, illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Using the illustrations, readers get to answer division and fraction questions. What fraction of the cow is blue? Fun farm math!
Fractions in Disguise by Edward Einhorn and David Clark
This is a mystery story about finding a missing fraction — clever!
Full House: An Invitation to Fractions by Dayle Ann Dodds, illustrated by Abby Carter
The Strawberry Inn is filled with five visitors who all want a piece of one cake. How will Miss Blue solve this problem?
Geometry Books
Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Learn the basic shapes with this cute introductory book.
Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry by Cindy Neuschwander and Bryan Langdo
To get to the pharaoh’s burial tomb, the kids must decode the geometric hieroglyphics.
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan
The king needs a place for his your knights to sit and discuss battle and peace plans. Luckily Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius can help.
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan
Radius must use his wits and math skills to rescue the missing king.
When a Line Bends . . . A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Learn about shapes in this brightly illustrated beginning circus story.
Perimeter, Area, and Volume: A Monster Book of Dimensions by David A Adler
The name says it all — learn about perimeter, area, and volume with this crew of monsters.
What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras? by Julie Ellis
Pythagoras discovered through experimentation that there are mathematical principles that always stay the same — like with right triangles.
Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by Remy Simard
To successfully journey back to earth, Captain Invincible must use his knowledge of 3D shapes.
Grandfather Tang’s Story by Ann Tonpert, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker
Using the tangram shapes, you’ll learn the story of two fox fairies.
Three Pigs, One Wolf, Seven Magic Shapes by Grace Maccarone, illustrated by David Neuhaus
In this three little pigs story, we find that the pigs must learn geometric shapes and tangrams.
Money Books
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz
Alexander trades his one dollar for many coins because he misses the point of how much things are worth, placing importance on the number of monies he has more than the value. Hilarious.
The Coin Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak Williams
Count five pennies, count two nickels, and add them up.
Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells
Grandma’s birthday is coming. Watch as Max and Ruby learn about how much things cost and what the best presents really are.
One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent by Bonnie Worth, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu
From the history of bartering things to the creation of different types of money, this is a great informational book about money.
Just Saving My Money by Mercer Mayer
Little Critter needs to earn money so that he can buy a skateboard.
Coin Collecting for Kids by Steve Otfinoski, illustrated by Jack Graham
Interesting information about collecting coins plus a place to start collecting.
Pigs Will Be Pigs: Fun with Math and Money by Amy Axelrod, illustrated by Sharon McGinley-Nally
Algebra Books
Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra by
Math Problem-Solving Books
The Deductive Detective by Brian Rock, illustrated by Sherry Rogers
This entertaining picture book incorporates math with the mystery genre. Detective Duck needs to use his deductive reasoning to figure out which of the twelve animal bakers stole the cake from the cake contest. He follows the clues, subtracting each suspect as he rules them out. Until only one animal is left! Can you use your thinking skills to figure out the culprit before Detective Duck?
Frank and Lucky Get Schooled by Lynne Rae Perkins
Frank adopts Lucky from a shelter. Together they have fun, educational adventures around the neighborhood. For example, Frank learns about math and puzzles thinking about how much hair Lucky sheds and dividing up sharing the bed with Lucky. The author makes the duo’s learning fun and embedded throughout the day whether it’s geography, science, or math. Love it.
One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Math! by Eric Yoder and Natalie Yoder
Real-world math brainteasers.
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
If you’ve ever been a victim of a MATH CURSE, you know how horrible it can be. Because you can break the curse. FUN and funny!
Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving by Greg Tang and Greg Paprocki
Using real artwork, this is a picture book where kids solve math problems and appreciate famous art.
The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math: 24 Death-Defying Challenges for Young Mathematicians by Sean Connolly and Allan Sanders
24 crazy and fun real-world challenges for middle schoolers.
Math for All Seasons by Greg Tang, illustrated by Harry Briggs
Put on your thinking caps. Look closely at the illustrations to solve the math problems.
Find books about place value, too!
Big List of the Best Math Picture Books
Addition & Subtraction Picture Books HERE
Addition Card Game: Check the Fridge
