Math for Elementary and Middle School

For many people, the term "math book" conjures up unpleasant memories of confusing textbooks and difficult homework. Fortunately, many talented writers have been working to change that. For instance, Marilyn Burns weaves mathematical concepts into stories and activity books that acknowledge that not everyone starts off liking math. Mitsumasa Anno produces masterpieces in which the lessons sneak up on readers from behind the clever and mysterious pictures, while Greg Tang shows how to use math to solve riddles.

Many of the books listed below are appropriate for a wide age range. Some, like Jon Scieszka's Math Curse, are fun to read as picture books for younger children, and can be appreciated by older readers on a different level. Others, like the "Family Math" series and Burns's The I Hate Mathematics Book!, address a wide range of skills and abilities. Some of the books were written for parents and teachers, but youngsters will enjoy looking at them, too. Almost all of the titles are best used when shared with an adult.

The best math books not only explain concepts, but also encourage children to develop problem-solving skills. These books show that math is more about learning that process than memorizing the steps to a solution.—Janet Dawson Hamilton

ANNO, Masaichiro & Mitsumasa Anno. Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar. illus. by authors. Philomel. 1983.

Gr 2-6–A deceptively simple picture book with meticulously detailed illustrations cleverly introduces the concept of factorials. It begins with a blue jar that contains an island that has two countries, each of which has three mountains, each of which has four kingdoms, and so forth, continuing until the number of items grows to " '10 factorial,' or 3,628,800." The same numbers are then shown with tiny red dots to illustrate the concept in another way. Anno's Magic Seeds (Putnam, 1999) offers an equally inventive introduction to counting and multiplication.

BURNS, Marilyn. The Greedy Triangle. illus. by Gordon Silveria. Scholastic. 1995.

K-Gr 2–In this geometric adventure, a dissatisfied triangle goes to a "shapeshifter" that turns it into a quadrilateral. Eventually, the quadrilateral also tires of its shape and returns for another side. This continues until the shape has so many sides and angles that it decides to go back to being a triangle. Bright, busy illustrations manage to make a variety of shapes look expressive and entertaining.

BURNS, Marilyn. The I Hate Mathematics Book! illus. by Martha Hairston. Little, Brown. 1975.

Gr 2-6–Lots of games, puzzles, riddles, and magic tricks illustrate different concepts, including probability, arithmetic, geometry, and fractions. The emphasis is on how to solve problems, and Burns sets out to change the minds of those who "hate mathematics" by showing that there are different ways to excel at it. The pale brown pages are illustrated with black pen-and-ink drawings that are both engaging and instructive. Math for Smarty Pants (Little, Brown, 1982) follows a similar format with activities grouped by concepts.

COATES, Grace Davila & Virginia Thompson. Family Math II: Achieving Success in Mathematics. Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley/EQUALS. 2003.

K-Gr 6–Compiled by the EQUALS mathematics education program, these enjoyable activities, designed for adults to use with children, cover probability and statistics, algebraic and logical thinking, number sense, and geometry. Step-by-step instructions are illustrated with simple black-line drawings, and grade levels are indicated. Additional material on a wide range of math topics can be found in Family Math for grades K-8 by Jean Kerr Stenmark and Virginia Thompson (1986), Family Math: The Middle School Years(1999) by Virginia Thompson and Karen Mayfield-Ingram, and Family Math for Young Children for preschool through 3rd grade by Grace Davila Coates and Jean Kerr Stenmark (1999, all EQUALS).

CUSHMAN, Jean. Do You Wanna Bet? Your Chance to Find Out about Probability. illus. by Martha Weston. Clarion. 1991.

Gr 3-6–This excellent introduction follows two boys through a variety of everyday experiences that involve chance and determining odds, such as the likelihood of two people in a class having the same birthday, the accuracy of a weather forecast, and the chances of winning carnival games. Well written, with clear explanations of concepts and helpful, amusing pen-and-ink drawings.

GEISERT, Arthur. Roman Numerals I to MM. illus. by author. Houghton/A Walter Lorraine Bk. 1996.

Gr 2-5–Humorous etchings featuring the antics of playful pigs illustrate the value of different Roman numerals. In the first part of the book, numerals from I to MM are defined and demonstrated in whimsical outdoor scenes with the corresponding number of pigs. In the second half, the scenarios become more varied and appear with lists of items that can be found in each picture, such as "X Pig Houses" and "V Cows." Readers can test what they've learned about these numerals by counting the objects.

HOLUB, Joan. Riddle-Iculous Math. illus. by Regan Dunnick. Albert Whitman. 2003.

Gr 2-5–Most of the riddles and rhymes in this collection involve elementary math skills, like addition, subtraction, and fractions, but others are just for laughs, for example, "What's a math teacher's favorite game? Divide and seek." Funny cartoons enliven the text.

LEEDY, Loreen. Fraction Action. illus. by author. Holiday House. 1994.

Gr 2-5–After the animals in Miss Prime's class learn about fractions, they put their knowledge to use. For example, in "A Fair Share," a group fixes lunch, dividing different foods to make sure everyone gets the same amount. Each page resembles a cartoon strip complete with dialogue bubbles and plenty of activity. Mission: Addition (1997) and Subtraction Action (2000, both Holiday House,) follow a similar format and feature the same likable characters.

McMILLAN, Bruce. Eating Fractions. photos. by author. Scholastic. 1991.

PreS-Gr 2–A simple but effective introduction. On each spread, a single word ("WHOLE," "HALVES," "THIRDS," or "FOURTHS") and an inviting color photograph of a particular snack faces a photo of two friends, a boy and a girl, merrily preparing the food, dividing it into fractional parts, or eating it. Recipes are included at the end.

MURPHY, Stuart J. The Best Vacation Ever. illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott. HarperCollins. 1997.

Gr 1-3–A simple, rhyming text tells the story of a family trying to decide where to go for vacation. The narrator polls the different members about a potential spot, and then adds the votes to come up with the perfect vacation. Colorful drawings include charts that help readers understand the process. Part of the successful "MathStart" series, this book includes suggested activities for adults and children to do together as well as other books on collecting data.

NEUSCHWANDER, Cindy. Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure. illus. by Wayne Geehan. Charlesbridge. 1997.

Gr 3-5–One of King Arthur's knights attempts to design a table around which all of the knights can sit. With his wife, Lady Di of Ameter, and his son, Radius, Sir Cumference experiments with different shapes. Finally, a fallen tree inspires a round table. Geehan's illustrations, particularly the diagrams, help readers understand the geometry. Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi(1999), Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland(2001), and Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone (2003) provide similarly playful introductions to additional topics.

PACKARD, Edward. Big Numbers: And Pictures That Show Just How Big They Are. 2000.
––––. Little Numbers: And Pictures That Show Just How Little They Are. 2001. ea vol: illus. by Salvatore Murdocca. Millbrook.

Gr 2-6–In the first title, each number is illustrated by the space that a number of peas takes up, starting with one and increasing with multiples of 10 to a quadrillion. Related odd facts are included, e.g., "A line of a billion mice would stretch around the world." The second opens with one seismosaurus dinosaur that decreases in size by powers of 10. Both oversized picture books have delightfully silly, busy cartoon illustrations that give readers plenty to look at and think about.

SCHMANDT-BESSERAT, Denise. The History of Counting. illus. by Michael Hays. HarperCollins/Morrow. 1999.

Gr 3-5–Beginning with an introduction to counting systems used today, the author then examines the evolution of counting and describes the development of "abstract counting" from the time of the Sumerians to the acceptance of Arabic numerals in Europe in the mid-17th century. The advantages of this system, including the importance of zero, are also presented. Softly textured acrylic paintings on linen depict people of many cultures, both past and present, using numbers.

SCHWARTZ, David M. How Much Is a Million? illus. by Steven Kellogg. HarperCollins. 1985.

K-Gr 5–Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician explains a million, a billion, and a trillion in terms that children can relate to; for instance, if a billion kids stood on one another's shoulders, they would reach to the moon. The last two pages offer explanations of how this and other facts were calculated. This winning author/illustrator team provides equally first-rate explanations of money in If You Made a Million (HarperCollins, 1989. (Video available from Weston Woods).

SCIESZKA, Jon. Math Curse. illus. by Lane Smith. Viking. 1995.

Gr 2-5–When a teacher tells the class that everything can be thought of as a math problem, one student starts having problems. Math problems. In fact, everything in life becomes a math problem. Smith's hilarious illustrations look appropriately like something out of a mathematical nightmare. A very funny, one-of-a-kind book that will get kids thinking of how math fits into their lives.

SWINBURNE, Stephen R. What's a Pair? What's a Dozen? photos. by author. Boyds Mills. 2000.

PreS-Gr 2–Concepts associated with numbers and counting are introduced. The color photos are clear and easy for young children to understand. For instance, "A half dozen is six" shows photographs of six balloons, six eggs in a nest, and six sheep. Questions and answers at the end, also with photos, review the concepts introduced.

TANG, Greg. Math for All Seasons. illus. by Harry Briggs. Scholastic. 2002.

Gr 1-3–Each bright spread has a picture of objects and a riddle in rhyme challenging readers to count the items by grouping them. For instance, one selection features four butterflies with varied numbers of dots while the text reads, "There is a mate for every one,/Make groups of ten and you'll be done!" Answers are given at the end. The Grapes of Math: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles (2001) and its sequel, Math Appeal (2003, both Scholastic), offer similar puzzlers but are intended for a slightly older audience.

TOMPERT, Ann. Grandfather Tang's Story. illus. by Robert A. Parker. Crown. 1990.

K-Gr 5–Grandfather Tang tells his granddaughter a story about the fox fairies that can change shape. As the foxes become different animals, Grandfather illustrates them with tangrams. Softly hued watercolor illustrations show what is happening in the story, while small inserts contain pictures of the tangram puzzles. The last page includes a tangram that children can trace and cut and explains how to use the pieces (tans) to make pictures.

BRUCE, Colin. Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math, and Probability. Perseus. 2001.

Gr 6 Up–Written by a British physicist and mystery fan, this collection of 12 clever stories features Sherlock Holmes and Watson, with titles like "The Case of the Gambling Nobleman" and "The Case of the Poor Observer" setting the tone. The detective shows how mathematics, rather than common sense, should be used in making decisions while employing probability, statistics, and game theory to make his points.

ENZENSBERGER, Hans Magnus. The Number Devil. illus. by Rotraut Susanne Berner. Holt/Metropolitan. 1998.

Gr 6-8–Every night, math-hating Robert dreams about the Number Devil, who goes about convincing him that there is a lot more to mathematics than calculating how long it takes "5 pretzel makers to make 88 pretzels." Color drawings placed strategically throughout capture Robert's strange adventures. An engaging novel that shows the fascinating side of math.

ERICKSON, Tim. Get It Together! Math Problems for Groups Grades 4-12. Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley/EQUALS. 1989.

Gr 4 Up–Useful for classrooms or enrichment programs, this collection provides problems for groups to solve. Each member gets one clue card; students must then work together to solve the problem. Introductory material for teachers explains how to work with groups and the benefits of group problem solving. A chart at the end gives ranges of grades for each activity as well as the skills practiced.

MARKLE, Sandra. Math Mini-Mysteries. S & S/Atheneum. 1993.

Gr 4-7–This collection of interesting "mysteries" uses math to find solutions. Examples include how to predict when Old Faithful will next erupt using a simple algebraic equation and how Mount Rushmore was made using a scale model. Black-and-white photos and line drawings appear throughout.

SALVADORI, Mario & Joseph P. Wright. Math Games for Middle School. Chicago Review. 1998.

Gr 6-8–Each chapter begins with explanations and examples on a topic, followed by problems presented as games in a section called "Math Camp." There are chapters on a wide range of subjects including numbers, operations, measurement, geometry, probability, and graphing. The author makes math entertaining for students and easy for teachers to teach.

SCHWARTZ, David M. G Is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book. illus. by Marissa Moss. Tricycle. 1998.

Gr 5-8–This alphabet book ranges from the ordinary ("P is for Probability") to the unexpected ("R is for Rhombicosidodecahedron"). Each entry has a one- or two-page explanation with humorous color illustrations that help clarify the concept. "W is for 'When are we ever gonna use this stuff, anyway?'" is a great read-aloud for the first day of math class.

VANCLEAVE, Janice. Janice VanCleave's Math for Every Kid. Wiley. 1991.

Gr 3-8–Activities and problems introduce a wide variety of skills including measurement, graphing, and geometry. Each chapter begins with a statement of purpose, followed by facts about that concept. Simple pen-and-ink drawings illustrate the concepts throughout. A good source for simple hands-on activities.

ZACCARO, Edward. Challenge Math for the Elementary and Middle School Student. Hickory Grove. 2000.

Gr 4-8–In his introduction, the author talks about the importance of keeping all students challenged and interested in the subject, explaining that gifted children are often bored when they learn too quickly. Each chapter includes explanations, problems, and real-life applications of particular concepts including problem solving, geometry, trigonometry, astronomy, and calculus. The problems are divided into three levels of difficulty to meet varying student needs. Engaging black-and-white cartoons appear throughout.