Math in the early years is often about simple concepts like counting, shapes, and where objects are located in space (above, below, next to, etc). All books can be opportunities to help young children build these basic math skills! Count the number of animals you see in the book, talk about what’s on top of the table, or what’s underneath the tree, or find circles, squares, and rectangles in the pictures!

Anno’s Counting Book

Written and Illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno

Age: Preschool

Beautiful in its simplicity, Anno’s Counting Book depicts a small village and how its landscape changes throughout the seasons. Each page spread also teaches children number concepts and classifications. With each turn of the page the number of items increases in surprising and subtle ways! A wonderful book for children 3 and up.

Tandem Tip: Each page shows the concept of numbers in a couple of different way. Look for the three dimensional squares increasing in value on the left side of the page and talk about how it grows taller with each page. Find the written number on the right side of the page and have your child write it out on a piece of paper or trace it with their finger. Then, be sure to count the objects in the pictures- as the number increases, so do houses, people, trees, and more!

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Written by James Dean

Illustrated by Eric Litwin

Age: Preschool

Whenever I visit a classroom to read, and pull out a Pete the Cat book, children shout out in excitement- he is a Kindergarten storybook celebrity! Pete the Cat is a loveable blue cat who teaches children many lessons through catchy rhyming and song-like stories. In this particular story, the button’s pop off of Pete’s shirt one by one. However, Pete doesn’t let this get him down. Children learn about counting, subtraction, and how to keep a good attitude even when your favorite shirt gets damaged.

Tandem Tip: Pete the Cat’s books are excellent books for singing. Make up your own tune and sing the story with the children in your life. Use your fingers to count down from four to zero as Pete loses his buttons. Ask young readers to use their math skills and predict how many buttons Pete has after each “pop” of another lost button.

Five Little Ducks

Illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey

Ages: Infant Toddler and Preschool

Five Little Ducks is a well-known and popular children’s song turned into a book. I love this thick board book version with bright colors and simple illustrations. Song books are excellent choices for our youngest readers. The rhythmic patterns of words help model the natural rhythms of languages. This book counts down from five to zero, helping children understand basic numbers and subtraction.

Tandem Tip: Your young infant may not be able to respond to questions or talk, but they are observing and learning from everything you do and say. Point and use your finger to count the ducks so that your child understands the connection between your words and the pictures in the book.