Math picture books are an important aspect of our homeschool math studies. Picture books are an engaging, unpressured way to share the joy of math with my children. I don't want these books to feel like "assignments," so I purposely do NOT emphasize that these are math books. Instead, we just read and enjoy the books together.
Top 25 Math Picture Books
Math Biographies
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese
Pythagoras and the Ratios by Julie Ellis
What's Your Angle, Pythagoras? by Julie Ellis
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordecai Gerstein
The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me by Jane Yolen
Math Feats
Pyramid by David Macauley
The Brooklyn Bridge by Elizabeth Mann
The Hoover Dam by Elizabeth Mann
To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Wendie Old
Math Tales and Ideas
Anno's Magic Seeds by Mitsumasa Anno
Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Mitsumasa Anno
One Grain of Rice by Demi
How Much is a Million by David Schwartz
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Sir Cumference Books
To make the most of these books, they are best read when we have plenty of time for extension activities, such as creating paper models of different shapes, making graphs, etc.
Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone by Cindy Neuschwander
Math Puzzles
These books can be a bit challenging, in a good way. They work best by taking plenty of time to explore different answers, making sure not to overly correct the child, and keeping the whole process fun and light. Kids who are easily frustrated by being incorrect may not enjoy these books as much, but these books can also be used to work on that character trait in a positive way.
Math for All Seasons: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles by Greg Tang
The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang
Math Potatoes by Greg Tang
What are your family's favorite math picture books?
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Oh, I haven't seen those MathStart books before! Thanks for the recommendation!
My kids and husband like the Phantom Tollbooth, too. Something about it was off for me (I think my sense of humor just didn't mesh well with the author's), but I know lots of people love that one.
We really like the MathStart picture book series for younger kids. http://www.mathstart.net/books.html And the Phantom Tollbooth as a chapter book.