Count with Me: Books about Numbers!
Learning to recognize how numbers look and beginning to count objects are both important skills for young children. Picture book stories make counting fun and engaging by using topics or themes that kids already enjoy (like race cars!). Beginning to recognize the numbers can be a fun bonus of these types of stories for pre-schoolers. Non-fiction books can go in-depth with beginning math topics, but they can also use counting as a way to learn more about a variety of topics. Here are some great new books (all published in 2015) for young readers that explore numbers.
Race Car Count
by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
This bright and engaging picture book will delight fans of cars! The rhyming text includes numbers 1-10, and the different cars offer a great way to talk about colors as well. As the cars line up to race, there is plenty of opportunity for fun sound effects, discussion of how stoplights work, and much more. The last page of the story is called "Meet the Race Cars!" and includes unique information about each one (including its number and name). This story would be great for toddlers and preschoolers.
Counting Lions
by Katie Cotton
This non-fiction title focuses on 10 endangered/threatened species of animal with poetic descriptions throughout. The black and white illustrations offer a great way to count each animal, talk about their differences, and explore interesting details. The final pages of the book give more information about each animal, including its protection status; resources for more in-depth research are also listed. This book would be great for early elementary students.
Edible Numbers
by Jennifer Vogel Bass
This non-fiction title covers counting with numbers 1-12 and also includes information about fruits and vegetables. It focuses on the vast variety of things like peppers (7 varieties), squashes (9 varieties), and pears (6 varieties) available. It has some fun activities at the end–a seek-and-find page encourages readers to find and count certain fruits or vegetables, and a fun chart shows all of the foods and their quantities. This book would be great for preschoolers or early elementary students.
