Books: Maths Themes
Dinosaur Dig
Source: Dunedin Public Library
ISBN: 9781846960604
Released: 22 Mar 2007
Publisher: OCTOPUS PUBLISHING GROUP
Imprint: TickTock Books
Publication Country: United Kingdom
Format: Paperback, New title
Series: Using Maths (part: No. 3)
Author: Clemson, Wendy Clemson, Frances
- Activity from NZ Maths based on the book https://nzmaths.co.nz/resource/dinosaur-dig
- NA2-1: Use simple additive strategies with whole numbers and fractions.
Talk about aligning mathematics with special interests! “The time when dinosaurs lived is divided into three different periods. *Cretaceous Period, *Jurassic Period, *Triassic Period. This map shows some places dinosaur fossils have been found. 1) How many Triassic sites are there? 2) which period has the most sites?”. Can be read as an interesting read-aloud topic book, or used as a more mathematically implicit teaching tool.
Nothing Stopped Sophie
The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain
Source: Dunedin Public Library
ISBN-13 9780316278201
Publisher Brown Little
Imprint Little, Brown Young Readers
Released 14 Aug 2018
Publication Country United States United States
Format Hardback
Author(s) By Bardoe, Cheryl
Illustrated by McClintock, Barbara
Sensational book! Covers French revelation on an emotional level “When the streets were unsafe outdoors, Sophie’s parents kept her indoors. As cries for equality echoed from the roof tiles, she cherished how math could make sense of the world.” Builds a passion “Sophie longed to become a mathematician and write such poems of her own.”, talks about how women weren’t allowed to attend University, but Sophie found a way around this to fight for her education. It draws attention to the discrimination women of the time faced. Brings maths alive with real world examples of application and discovery.
Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics
Source: Dunedin Public Library
Publisher : Creston Books; Illustrated edition (1 July 2020)
ISBN-13 : 978-1939547637
Author: Laurie Wallmark
Illustrator: Yevgenia Nayberg
Description: Sophie Kowalevski was both a brilliant mathematician and a talented writer. Creative work nurtured her mathematical research, giving her a flexibility of thought she treasured. A wonderful STEAM figure, she not only did mathematical research, but she also created many literary works. This inspiring title tells the story of Sophie’s journey as the first woman to receive a doctorate in mathematics, which required original research, holding a university chair in mathematics, and becoming the editor of a major scientific journal.
Quite a complicated book to use as a read-aloud, make sure to re-read several times before trying to read to class. The illustrations use calculus formulas, so a refresher on what these mean could be helpful when talking with curious readers. Also discusses the difficulties women faced in trying to get recognised or enter university. Not a light introduction to help kids to enjoy maths, but a fantastic resource to inspire potential mathematicians – particularly those looking to move behind the struggle of memorising timetables to see the practical application of maths in the world (and how theoretical maths can become practical). Would pair nicely with Dr Keith’s Devlins talks on maths, the history of algebra, or calculus as technology.
The Numbers Book
Source: Dunedin Public Library
ISBN-13 9781742034225
Publisher Wild Dog Books
Imprint Wild Dog Books
Published 5 Sep 2016
Publication Country Australia Australia
Format Trade Paperback/Paperback
Author(s) By Hendry, Lorna
Talks about how exciting numbers are, how numbers are used in different parts of the world, tallying methods, the decimal system, place value, numbers found in the world (e.g. speed signs), binary numbers, unlucky numbers, prime numbers… full of interesting and teachable facts, presented in a way that can easily be exciting (although if read as a droning ‘read aloud’ could also be made boring).
I can add up
Source: Dunedin Public Library
ISBN-13 9780746033395
Publisher Usborne Publishing Ltd
Imprint Usborne Publishing Ltd
Released 30 Oct 1998
Publication Country United Kingdom United Kingdom
Format Hardback
Author(s) By Gibson, Ray
Cute activities for counting “4 flowers have leaves. Cut a leaf for the other flower. How many now”. Not much use as a book to spark mathematical conversations, but could be useful for parents wanting to help engage children at home.
Whole-y Cow! Fractions are Fun
Source: Dunedin Public Library
ISBN-13 9781585364602
Stock Available
Status Internationally sourced; ships 10-15 working days
Publisher Cengage Learning, Inc
Imprint Sleeping Bear Press
Publication Country United States United States
Format Hardback
Author(s) By Souders, Taryn
Illustrated by Mai-Wyss, Tatjiana
Has a lovely children’s story “One hole cow what should she do? Mood while her friends paint one half blue” with leading questions that can be asked “What fraction of the cow is blue?” or “What fraction of the cow is white?”. Covers halves, thirds, quarters, and wholes – but doesn’t explicitly use mathematical language. The onus is on the reader to discus how eight spots are 6/8 red and 2/8 blue – having the text say “painted six spots on the cow’s back red!” is confusing, highlighting the red spots but drawing attention to the number six without mentioning two blue, or eight altogether. however – there are answers in the back of the book, which is helpful.
A Lion in the Night
Source: Massey University Library
ISBN-13 9780140509397
Publisher Penguin Random House Australia
Imprint Puffin
Published 3 Oct 1988
Publication Country Australia
Format Paperback, New edition
Author(s) By Allen, Pamela
Series Picture Puffin
- Activity from NZ Maths based on the book https://nzmaths.co.nz/resource/lion-night
- GM1-3: Give and follow instructions for movement that involve distances, directions, and half or quarter turns.
- GM1-4: Describe their position relative to a person or object.
Fun story, not explicitly teaching distances, direction or position.
Flow Spin Grow: Looking for Patterns in Nature
Source: Dunedin Public Library
ISBN-13 9781771475198
Publisher Owlkids Books Inc.
Imprint Owlkids Books Inc.
Publication Country Canada Canada
Format Trade Paperback/Paperback
Author(s) By Barss, Patchen
Illustrated by Stewart, Todd
Nice, easy to read picture book without explicit teaching of the subjects, but with lots of opportunity for inspired in-depth discussions or simply exploring the exciting patterns found everywhere. “spirals appear where things grow or shrink. plants and shells spiral out. storms and galaxies spiral in”.
Math Fables
Source: Dunedin Public Library
Author(s) Greg Tang
ISBN 9780439453998
Publisher Scholastic Press
Illustrated by Heather Cahoon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6YQYBflPgI
Interesting idea, but read first to make sure it’s suitable for ākonga – e.g. one section talks of birds learning to fly and one falling “from the sky and very nearly drowned”. Very subtly introduces addition through storytelling. “As the stories unfold, each number is shown in different ways. The six becomes a group of 4 and 2, a group of 5 and 1, and finally two groups of 3. The idea is to encourage kids to begin thinking more efficiently in groups rather than counting one number at a time.” Squirrels, turtles, raccoons, otters, monarch butterflies, beavers.
I’m Trying to Love Math
Source: Dunedin Public Library
Author: Bethany Barton
Illustrator: Bethany Barton
ISBN: 9780451480903
Published 2019
Publisher: Viking
Blurb: In her signature hilarious style, Bethany Barton introduces readers to the things (and people) that use math in amazing ways — like music, and spacecraft, and even baking cookies! This isn’t a how-to math book, it’s a way to think differently about math as a necessary and cool part of our lives!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dVATqiAIAk
A useful picture book that shows different ways maths is used naturally – it talks about the percentage and fraction of American’s who don’t like maths, the way maths is used to make cookies, throws in some symbols, and talks about the maths in music. Unfortunately, it does use miles and Fahrenheit, but only a little.