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3 - 5 Number Sense - Children's Literature

  • Amazing & incredible counting stories!: a number of tall tales (ENC-006261) This picture book uses colorful illustrations and unlikely news events to demonstrate the concept of counting. Readers will read about the 11 telephone trees found growing in the woods or the 4 jelly faucets that proved to be a big time saver, as well as a host of other incredible, numerical news events.

  • Anno's mysterious multiplying jar (ENC-007472) This book demonstrates the concept of factorials by using colorful pictures and a mysterious jar with some water that becomes a sea. The story uses pictures to depict subdivisions of the sea into an island, the island into two countries, the two countries each with three mountains, and so on until the reader has counted to 3,638,800. Not only are the subdivisions pictured, but a dot diagram is used to illustrate the process.

  • The doorbell rang (ENC-009850) This illustrated children's book can be used to introduce the concept of fair division. The story begins with two children and a dozen cookies (six for each). The doorbell rings and two friends are welcomed in to share the cookies (three for each). The doorbell rings twice more, each time heralding more and more children and fewer and fewer cookies to go around.

  • Each orange had 8 slices: a counting book (ENC-009849) This children's book introduces beginning multiplication concepts and fractions and provides the opportunity for counting practice. With each turn of the page, the reader encounters a colorful picture followed by questions. The first page, for example, shows three red flowers, each with six pretty petals and two black bugs on each petal. The reader is asked to find the number of flowers, then the number of petals, and finally the total number of bugs.

  • How much is a million? (ENC-001299) This picture book is designed to help students conceptualize large numbers such as a million, a billion, and a trillion. The realm of large numbers is introduced in this story through examples in topics ranging from whales to interstellar travel.

  • How the second grade got $8,205.50 to visit the Statue of Liberty (ENC-009702) This illustrated children's book details the trials and triumphs of a group of second graders attempting to raise money for a trip to the Statue of Liberty. Written in the style of a treasurer's report, this book addresses basic money concepts such as profit and expenses. The children in the story try unsuccessfully to raise money in many ways and then find success through an amazing coincidence.

  • The king's commissioners (ENC-009718) This book, part of the MARILYN BURNS BRAINY DAY BOOK SERIES, demonstrates the number system to children in grades K to 5 by introducing the concept of counting by grouping. This story focuses on counting the number of commissioners appointed by a king to perform duties such as being Commissioner for Late Arrivals. One commissioner counted by twos, another counted by fives, and the princess counted by tens. The story also helps children to see how mathematical techniques and symbols are used to represent numerical quantities. In a section at the end of each book are explanations of the mathematics underlying the story, suggestions for ways to involve children with math, and questions to engage children in talking about their ideas.

  • Mission : Addition (ENC-011253) This picture book tells the story of Miss Prime and her class using mathematics to solve six mysteries requiring math skills ranging from counting and basic number facts to simple adding with two-digit numbers. Miss Prime and her class solve a mystery about missing chocolate chip cookies, find the winning bowling score, survey the class for the number and types of pets the students have, figure the profits from a garage sale, and find the mistakes on their bills at the Classy Cafe.

  • One hundred hungry ants (ENC-009847) This children's book uses marching verses and whimsical art to describe how a colony of one hundred ants marching towards a picnic were persuaded to divide into rows of two, four, five, and ten so that they could arrive more quickly than marching single file. Drawings illustrate the factors of 100 and the principles of division.

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Last modified January 8, 2001(ljl)