Book picks similar to
The Action of Subtraction by Brian P. Cleary


math
picture-books
non-fiction
children-s-books

This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story


Laura Krauss Melmed - 2001
    From I dressed in linen to 10 making baskets, this rollicking verse shows Wampanoag and Pilgrim friends preparing for and sharing a wonderful Thanksgiving feast.Vibrant illustrations from critically acclaimed artist Mark Buehner only add to the fun! Count up the rabbits, squirrels, and other small creatures tucked into each scene. Find the bold turkey on every page ... and for the very sharp of eye, there are all sorts of surprises hidden in the art!An entertaining story for children to read again and again, This First Thanksgiving Day will warm and enrich everyone's holiday season!

Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook


Shel Silverstein - 2005
    From the legendary creator of Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, and The Giving Tree comes an unforgettable new character in children's literature: Runny Babbit.Runny Babbit is Shel Silverstein's hilarious and New York Times-bestselling book of spoonerisms—words or phrases with letters or syllables swapped: bunny rabbit becomes Runny Babbit.Welcome to the world of Runny Babbit and his friends Toe Jurtle, Skertie Gunk, Rirty Dat, Dungry Hog, Snerry Jake, and many others who speak a topsy-turvy language all their own.So if you say, "Let's bead a rookThat's billy as can se,"You're talkin' Runny Babbit talk,Just like mim and he.And don't miss Runny Babbit Returns, the new book from Shel Silverstein!

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes


Tana Hoban - 1986
    Circles, squares, stars, triangles, hearts, and rectangles—how many can you see? Simple, clear, practical, Shapes, Shapes, Shapes is a fun way for children to learn. Sit together with a child at home or in a preschool classroom and use this book to enjoyably teach this core preschool/kindergarten skill: geometry.Dozens of real-world photographs of buildings, shoes, people at work, and more help young readers build observation skills as they hunt for shapes hidden in plain sight.“This marvelous book from a top notch photographer gives children the opportunity to see the world around them, not just look at it,” said Publishers Weekly. “Do your eyes a favor, and don’t miss this one," wrote School Library Journal.

How Are You Peeling?


Saxton Freymann - 1999
    And leaves you feeling great no matter what the answers are!"Who'd have dreamed that produce could be so expressive, so charming, so lively and so funny?...Freymann and...Elffers have created sweet and feisty little beings with feelings, passions, fears and an emotional range that is, well, organic."-The New York Times Book Review

How to Read a Story


Kate Messner - 2015
    (A good one.)Step Two: Find a reading buddy. (Someone nice.)Step Three: Find a reading spot. (Couches are cozy.)Now: Begin.Accomplished storytellers Kate Messner and Mark Siegel chronicle the process of becoming a reader: from pulling a book off the shelf and finding someone with whom to share a story, to reading aloud, predicting what will happen, and—finally—coming to The End. This picture book playfully and movingly illustrates the idea that the reader who discovers the love of reading finds, at the end, the beginning.

The Story of Ruby Bridges


Robert Coles - 1995
    Because even if they say those bad things, They don't know what they're doing."This is the true story of an extraordinary 6-year-old who helped shape history when she became the first African-American sent to first grade in an all white school. This moving book captures the courage of a little girl standing alone in the face of racism.

One Tiny Turtle


Nicola Davies - 2001
    . . . A powerful nature story for a young audience." —BOOKLISTFar, far out at sea lives one of the world's most mysterious creatures, the loggerhead turtle. For thirty years she swims the oceans, wandering thousands of miles as she searches for food. Then, one summer night, she lands on a beach to lay her eggs—the very same beach where she herself was born. Nicola Davies's lyrical text offers fascinating information about the journey of the tiny, endangered loggerhead, while charming paintings by Jane Chapman vividly illustrate one turtle's odyssey.

Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes


Eric Litwin - 2011
    Pete discovers the library, the lunch room, the playground, and lots of other cool places at school. And no matter where he goes, Pete never stops moving and grooving and singing his song...because it’s all good.The fun never stops—download the free groovin’ song.

Bean Thirteen


Matthew McElligott - 2007
    Everyone knows it's unlucky! Now that they're stuck with it, how can they make it disappear? If they each eat half the beans, there's still one left over. And if they invite a friend over, they each eat four beans, but there's still one left over! And four friends could each eat three beans, but there's still one left over! HOW WILL THEY ESCAPE THE CURSE OF BEAN THIRTEEN?!A funny story about beans, that may secretly be about . . . math! Sometimes you can divide, but you just can't conquer (the bean thirteen, that is).

Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money


Emily Jenkins - 2012
    With a catchy refrain (Lemon lemon LIME, Lemon LIMEADE! Lemon lemon LIME, Lemon LEMONADE!), plus simple math concepts throughout, here is a read-aloud that's great for storytime and classroom use, and is sure to be a hit among the legions of Jenkins and Karas fans.

The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights


Carole Boston Weatherford - 2009
    Since the earliest days of slavery, African Americans have called on their religious faith in the struggle against oppression. In this book the Beatitudes -- from Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount -- form the backdrop for Carole Boston Weatherford's powerful free-verse poem that traces the African American journey from slavery to civil rights.Tim Ladwig's stirring illustrations showcase a panorama of heroes in this struggle, from the slaves shackled in the hold of a ship to the first African American president taking his oath of office on the steps of the United States Capitol.Readers of all ages will find this a book to return to again and again for encouragement and inspiration.

Goodnight, Numbers


Danica McKellar - 2017
    As children say goodnight to the objects all around them three wheels on a tricycle, four legs on a cat they will connect with the real numbers in their world while creating cuddly memories, night after night.

What If You Had Animal Teeth!?


Sandra Markle - 2012
    If you had a beaver's, you'd have orange teeth! And if you had a naked mole rat's set of teeth, you could move each one separately, like chopsticks! The animal kingdom has lots of cool teeth, but yours are pretty awesome, too!

A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms


Paul B. Janeczko - 2005
    How manyCan you master?From sonnets to double dactyls,Odes to limericks—Raschka and Janeczko (and a frisky mule)Make learning the rules of poetrySo much fun!In this splendid and playful volume, acclaimed poetry anthologist Paul B. Janeczko and Caldecott Honor illustrator Chris Raschka present lively examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the spirit that brings these forms so wonderfully to life. Featuring formal poems, some familiar and some never before published, from the likes of Eleanor Farjeon (aubade), X. J. Kennedy (elegy), Ogden Nash (couplet), Liz Rosenberg (pantoum), and William Shakespeare, the sonnet king himself, A KICK IN THE HEAD perfectly illustrates Robert Frost's maxim that poetry without rules is like a tennis match without a net.

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin


Lloyd Moss - 1995
    But soon a trumpet makes a duet, a french horn a trio, and so on until the entire orchestra is assembled on stage. Written in elegant and rhythmic verse and illustrated with playful and flowing artwork, this unique counting book is the perfect introduction to musical groups. Readers of all ages are sure to shout “Encore!” when they reach the final page of this joyous celebration of classical music.