What in the World?: Numbers in Nature


Nancy Raines Day - 1999
    This book uses playful rhyming text to explore these numerical sets in vibrant detail, ending with the stars in the sky—a number set too big to count!

If: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers


David J. Smith - 2014
    But what if we took these big, hard-to-imagine objects and events and compared them to things we can see, feel and touch? Instantly, we'd see our world in a whole new way." So begins this endlessly intriguing guide to better understanding all those really big ideas and numbers children come across on a regular basis. Author David J. Smith has found clever devices to scale down everything from time lines (the history of Earth compressed into one year), to quantities (all the wealth in the world divided into one hundred coins), to size differences (the planets shown as different types of balls). Accompanying each description is a kid-friendly drawing by illustrator Steve Adams that visually reinforces the concept. By simply reducing everything to human scale, Smith has made the incomprehensible easier to grasp, and therefore more meaningful. The children who just love these kinds of fact-filled, knock-your-socks-off books will want to read this one from cover to cover. It will find the most use, however, as an excellent classroom reference that can be reached for again and again when studying scale and measurement in math, and also for any number of applications in social studies, science and language arts. For those who want to delve a little deeper, Smith has included six suggestions for classroom projects. There is also a full page of resource information at the back of the book.

Pugs in a Bug


Carolyn Crimi - 2012
    Beep, beep! Bow wow! Take a spin! Through country and city, from desert to beach, this rhyming, rollicking, chantalong book offers plenty of sights to see and count. Sheepdogs in their jeep, greyhounds in a bus, even bulldogs driving cabs! Award winner Carolyn Crimi and rising star Stephanie Buscema invite kids to read it loud, read it often, and read it silly.

Sweater Weather


Matt Phelan - 2021
    Papa Bear instructs his cubs to put on their sweaters, and patiently waits downstairs. When he checks on them, he learns that getting ready is no simple task. But even if this lovable bear family misses out on their planned outing, the evening sky still holds a beautiful surprise.

Cat Up a Tree


Ann Hassett - 1998
    What is she to do? She looks out the window again to discover five cats up the tree. And the cats keep coming - too many to count - in all sorts of zany colors, shapes, and sizes. Frantic, Nana Quimby calls the police station, the pet shop, the zoo, and even city hall, but no one will respond to her plea. Children will love counting all the irresistible cats in John Hassett's lively artwork, as the town that refuses to help finds itself caught in a hilarious quandary and finally learns the importance of lending a hand.

Billy and Goat at the State Fair


Dan Yaccarino - 2015
    Billy likes to smell the roses—Goat likes to eat them! So it’s no surprise that they have different ideas of how to enjoy the state fair.   For Billy, the crowds and the noise are pretty intimidating. He’s happy to wait in the livestock pens until the best-goat contest begins. But Goat’s not one to sit when he could run. Faster than you can say butter sculpture, Goat’s out of the pen and leading Billy on a merry chase past rides, games, contests, and exhibits. When Billy finally catches up to him—on the biggest float of the parade!—he’s relieved, but also amazed. The fair is awesome! They may have missed Goat’s chance to win best in show, but for Billy it’s never been more clear—his best friend is the best goat ever!

hello! hello!


Matthew Cordell - 2012
    She says Hello to everyone. Hello? Hello! Her father says hello while texting, her mother says hello while working on her laptop and her brother doesn't say hello at all. The T.V shouts Hello! But she doesn't want to watch any shows. Lydia, now restless, ventures outside. There are so many things to say hello to! Hello rocks! Hello leaves! Hello flowers! When Lydia comes back home she decides to show her family what she has found, and it's hello world and goodbye gadgets!

One Is a Drummer: A Book of Numbers


Roseanne Thong - 2004
    Three are the dim sum carts filled with yummy treats, eight are the candles on a birthday cake, and ten are the bamboo stalks growing in a garden. Many of the featured objects are Asian in origin, but all are universal in appeal. With brilliantly colored illustrations, an ear-pleasing text and an informative glossary, this truly multicultural book will make counting a fun part of every child's day!

Have You Seen Elephant? (Gecko Press Titles)


David Barrow - 2015
    A small boy and his elephant play an absurd game of hide and seek - a brilliant debut from a Sebastian Walker Award-winning illustrator

Five Little Ducks


Ivan Bates - 2006
    One by one each plump little duckling wanders off in search of a very special present. When all have disappeared, lonely mother duck lets out a very sad quack and all her ducklings come waddling back! Each proudly carries a wonderful and thoughtful surprise for loving mother duck--a beautiful flower, a lucky four-leaf clover, a gorgeous seashell, a juicy berry, and a delicious worm!

Melissa's Octopus and Other Unsuitable Pets


Charlotte Voake - 2014
    Then there are others that make, well, unusual pets, like an octopus, a warthog, or an elephant. They’re too large, too messy, and maybe a tad too free-spirited with a tendency to break things like tables, floors, and even ceilings. But can you guess what makes the most unsuitable pet ever?

How Big Is A Million


Anna Milbourne - 2007
    But exactly how big? Pipkin the penguin wants to know just that. The wonderful tale of a small penguin with a big heart on a journey to discover just how big a million really is. A special 1 x 1.5m fold-out poster at the end of the book shows Pipkin looking at the sky, printed with exactly one million stars. Charmingly illustrated with gentle humour and memorable characters.

This Tree Counts!


Alison Ashley Formento - 2010
    one owl, two spiders, three squirrels, four robins, five caterpillars, six ants, seven crickets, eight flies, nine ladybugs, and ten earthworms, all living safe and free in their tree home. What does this tree need? The children know-it needs friends!Alison Formento's gentle story, illustrated with Sarah Snow's beautiful papercuts, whispers important ideas to all young tree lovers.

Toads on Toast


Linda Bailey - 2012
    The secret? No toads!

Everyone Counts


Judy Sierra - 2019
    All Takoda needs is a capable crew to lend a paw or two--or three, four, or more.Two rhinos, three lemurs, four oryx, and eventually ten crocodiles turn up to help. Soon the animals are finding places to pitch in: bears are carving out burrows, elephants are stomping the way for a playground, and crocodiles are crafting a waterslide.It seems everyone's got something to do--everyone, that is, except for ten eager bugs. Will they be underestimated for their size or will this be a new kind of zoo where everyone counts?Judy Sierra's rhymes and Marc Brown's colorful, folk-inspired art lend themselves to themes of counting and teamwork in this new picture book all about how a tiger cub and a whole lot of friends to count on add up to one wonderful zoo."Sierra's rollicking rhymes are fun to read aloud and listen to, and Brown's gouache and pencil illustrations give children lots of details to pore over. This rhythmic, imaginative romp practically reads itself aloud."--Kirkus