Looking for a math-themed picture book for your child? Check out our list of the best math picture books for kids! Reading math-themed picture books is a good way to make math less intimidating and more fun for children. Picture books offer a fantastic way to help children see how math is all around us in our day-to-day lives. They can make a great addition to your classroom, homeschool math lessons, or if you simply want to give your child a better understanding of key math concepts.
In this post, I have listed fun and engaging math books for first graders that aid in introducing math concepts to kids in early elementary. Books that introduce counting, addition, subtraction, place value, geometry, multiplication, and division. They are perfect for preschool, kindergarten, and first through third grade. To make math even more fun, check out all these cool math-inspired board games.
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Math Books for First Graders:
by Carrie Finison
LouAnn the bear is diligently preparing for her winter-long nap by making a dozen doughnuts to keep her belly full. As she sits down to eat her doughnuts, Ding Dong! a friend is at her door. She is happy to share her doughnuts. Then other friends show up, and she must make dozens of more doughnuts and divide them equally amongst themselves.
It is a fun story about sharing, friendship, and thinking about others. It also lends itself to introducing basic addition, division, and multiplication.
by Anne Miranda
Award-winning author, Anne Miranda, tells a fun geometric tale that kids will love. This story introduces 16 geometric shapes who get tangled up in a jungle gym until one friend figures out the best way to rescue them.
by Angeline Sparagna LoPresti
A Place for Zero tells the story of Zero, who is lonely in Digitaria. He can't even play Addemup, because he has nothing to add! All the other numbers have a place, but he can't seem to find where he belongs. That is until he discovers multiplication, he might have a place there. A Place for Zero is a fantastic picture book for introducing multiplication and number placement.
by Maria Dek
When I Am Bigger is a whimsical counting book with numbers from nine to one hundred. It challenges readers to count the right number of objects by not having the number in sequential order. In addition to being a counting book, the book also incorporates lessons on self-awareness, independence, and giving back.
by David A. Adler
Help the monkeys bake the biggest banana cupcake ever. They need to get the amount in the recipe correct, and learning place value is what is going to help them keep their numbers straight. This book utilizes humorous art and easy-to-follow explanations to present basic facts about place value.
by Trisha Sue Speed Shaskan
Explore all the things you could do if you were a minus sign, such as subtracting one number from another or subtracting food and balloons. With every problem in this book, you will find the difference.
Trisha Sue Speed Shaskan
If you were a plus sign, you could add things together. You could add people and animals, and you could add up and down or side to side. If You Were a Plus Sign is part of Trisha Speed Shaskan's best-selling Math Fun series that provides creative math examples, easy-to-understand text, and engaging art that makes math education fun and entertaining.
by Ann Marie Stephens
Arithmechicks Take a Calculation Vacation invites readers to add and subtract as they explore fact families. The Arithmechicks are ten math-loving chicks. They are headed to the beach to cheer on their friend Mouse who is going to compete in a sandcastle contest. The chicks will be playing volleyball and surfing. Included in this book is a glossary that defines fact families.
by Stuart J. Murphy
Divide and Ride is a great book choice for teaching dividing to second, third, and fourth graders. Kids will love the stories and illustrations, while parents and teachers will appreciate how the story and pictures make understanding math concepts easier. Join the carnival fun as eleven friends divide up to fit on the 2-to-a-seat roller coaster and the 4-to-a-cup teacups ride.
by Dayle Ann Dodds
A crafty story about eighty racers determined to win The Great Divide. As they race, they face dangers that divide the group, once, twice, three times, and more! Will there be a racer left to cross the finish line?
by Marcie Aboff
If you were a polygon you could have at least three straight sides, you could be a kite, a star, or a stop sign. If You Were a Polygon provides engaging art and easy-to-understand math concepts.
Happy Reading!