Basic Math Books for Toddlers

Counting Books and Number Concepts

• Counting books for toddlers are popular, but the format can be fairly uniform across the genre. One that stands out is ̶0;1-2-3 Peas,̶1; by Keith Baker, with huge, colorful numbers and the corresponding amount of peas doing silly activities throughout the book. It covers the essential numbers between 1 and 100 and is helpful to introduce the idea of larger numbers. A different sort of number book is ̶0;Zero,̶1; by Kathryn Otoshi, which follows Zero as she tries to imitate other numbers in an effort to give herself value, until she realizes she has value in her own way. The book is a lovely story about self-worth, but it also discusses the shapes of numbers a great deal throughout.

Addition and Subtraction Books

• Children learn about addition and subtraction intuitively at first with objects, but books can help introduce the vocabulary and concepts more formally to toddlers. ̶0;Help Me Learn Addition,̶1; by Jean Marzollo, is an adorable book using photographs of figurines and rhyming narrative to introduce basic addition equations in a way that appeals to young readers. And though ̶0;Mouse Count,̶1; by Ellen Stoll Walsh, seems to be a counting book, it also serves as an early introduction to addition and subtraction as a snake captures mice and adds them to a jar one at a time.

Comparing Objects

• Another important math concept for toddlers is comparing and matching objects̵7; relative sizes. ̶0;Is it Larger? Is it Smaller?,̶1; by Tana Habon, is a charming pictures-only book with photographs of interesting yet familiar scenes incorporating objects of varying sizes, such as a fish tank with several fish. Toddlers will enjoy figuring out which objects are larger or smaller in the context of everyday items displayed in fascinating ways. In contrast, ̶0;BIG & little,̶1; by Todd Parr, uses simple yet appealing drawings of animals and objects to directly compare and contrast things that are big and small, and it will appeal to the youngest of toddlers.

Books About Measuring

• Though toddlers do not understand units of measure, they will begin to explore quantity on their own. The book ̶0;Length,̶1; by Henry Arthur Pluckrose, is from an excellent series called ̶0;Math Counts̶1; that use photographs and informational text to explain the basic concept in the title; the series also includes books called ̶0;Weight,̶1; ̶0;Pattern,̶1; ̶0;Size,̶1; and several others. The explanations are simple enough to appeal to older toddlers, but are too specific for younger ones. On the other hand, ̶0;Inch by Inch,̶1; by beloved children̵7;s author Leo Lionni, is a delightful Caldecott Honor Book that tells the story of an inchworm̵7;s measuring adventures, and the artwork and tale will appeal to all ages.