Math Read Alouds

Read alouds are a great way to get students interested in mathematics.  Sometimes even elementary level books are the best for middle or high school students who need a little break from drama, schoolwork, or just math.  Listed below are a few good read aloud books, in which some call "living math".  

A Place for Zero - Angeline Sparagna Lopresti

Zero is not Nothing - Mindel and Harry Sitomer

Large Numbers, Exponents, Infinity

512 Ants on Sullivan Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar - Masaichiro Anno (size, perspective, counting, nesting, factorials)

Arm in Arm - Remy Charlip (paradox, infinite loops)

Is the Blue Whale the Biggest Thing Ever? - Robert Wells (why we have lg. numbers)

Hooray for Me - Remy Charlip (relationship, nesting)

How Much is a Million? - Frank Schwartz

Infinity, What Is It? - Marnie Luce

King's Chessboard - David Birch (doubling exponentially)

Math Curse - Jon Scieszka

Millions of Cats - Wanda Gag

On Beyond a Million - David Schwartz (lg. numbers, exponents)

One Grain of Rice - Demi (doubling exponentially)

Anno's Magic Seeds - Masaichiro Anno

Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar - Masaichiro Anno

Best Vacation Ever - Stuart Murphy (collecting data)

Do You Wanna Bet? - Jean Cushman

Fractals, Googols and Other Mathematical Tales - Theoni Pappas

Graph Games - Frederique and Papy

Great Graph Contest - Loreen Leedy (graphs)

Lemonade for Sale - Stuart Murphy (bar graphs)

Less Than Zero - Stuart Murphy (graphing, negative numbers)

Number Devil - Hans Magnus Enzensberger

Odds & Chances for Kids -Manfred Riedel (probability, history, stories. Much is in storytelling form)

Pigs at Odds - Amy Axelrod

Pigs on the Ball - Amy Axelrod

Probably Penny - Loreen Leedy (probability)

Probably Pistachio - Stuart Murphy (probability)

Socrates and the Three Little Pigs - Tuyosi Mori

Sundae Scoop - Stuart Murphy (combinations)

Tiger Math - Ann Whitehead Nagda (graphing)

3D, 2D, 1D - David Adler

A Cloak for the Dreamer - Aileen Friedman

Ancient Mystery of Tangrams - Quarto Children's Books

Angles are Easy as Pie - Robert Froman

Area - Jane Jonas Srivastava

Bigger, Better, Best - Stuart Murphy (area)

Boy With Square Eyes - Juliet Snape

Captain Invincible and the Space Ships - Stuart Murphy (3d shapes)

Circles - Mindel and Harry Sitomer

Circles and Curves - Arthur Razell

Eight Hands Round - Ann Whitford Paul (quilt design)

Ellipse - Mannis Charosh

Goat in the Rug - Charles Blood (Navajo weaving story)

Grandfather Tang's Story - Ann Tompert

Greedy Triangle - Marilyn Burns

Hamster Champs - Stuart Murphy (angles)

Harlequin - Remy Charlip

House for Birdie - Stuart Murphy (understanding capacity)

In Shadowland - Masaichiro Anno

Let's Fly a Kite - Stuart Murphy (symmetry)

Lines, Segments, Polygon - Mindel

Mighty Maddie - Stuart Murphy (comparing weights)

Mother, Mother, I Feel Sick... - Remy Charlip

Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry - Cindy Neuschwander

My Full Moon is Square - Elinor Pinczes (intro to square numbers)

Opt, An Illusionary Tale - Arline Baum (geometry, proportions, measurement)

Paper Crane - Molly Bang (origami)

Paper John - David Small (origami)

Patchwork Quilt - Valerie Flournoy

Quilt Counting - Lesa Cline-Ransome

Racing Around - Stuart Murphy (perimeter)

Reflections - Ann Jonas (symmetry, perspective)

Rubber Bands, Baseballs and Doughnuts: A Book about Topology - Robert Froman

Shadow Geometry - Daphne Harwood Trivett

Shape of Things - Dayle Ann Dodds

Shape Up: Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons - David Adler

Silly Story of Goldilocks and the Three Squares - Grace Maccarone

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi - Cindy Neuschwander

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table -  Cindy Newschwander (geometry shapes)

Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland - Cindy Neuschwander

Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter -  Cindy Neuschwander

Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone - Cindy Neuschwander

Spaghetti and Meatballs for All - Marilyn Burns (area, perimeter, division)

Spider Weaver - Margaret Musgrove

Squarehead - Harriet Ziefert

Straight Lines, Parallel Lines, Perpendicular Lines - Mannis Charosh

Super Sand Castle Saturday - Stuart Murphy (measuring)

Three Pigs, One Wolf and Seven Magic Shapes - Grace MacCarone

Triangle, Square, Circle - William Wegman

Village of Round and Square Houses - Ann Grifalconi

What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras? – Julie Ellis

What Is It? Spin -about book - Beau Gardner

What is Symmetry? - Mindel and Harry Sitomer

When  a Line Bends...a Shape Begins - Rhonda Gowler Greene

Wing on a Flea - Ed Emberley

Who Took the Farmer's Hat? - Joan Nodset

Alice in Numberland (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Bug Dance - Stuart Murphy (directions)

Case of the Missing Zebra Stripes (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Dinosaur Deals - Stuart Murphy (equivalent values)

Fortunately - Remy Charlip (opposites, prediction)

From Head to Toe: Body Math (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Greatest Gymnast of All - Stuart Murphy (opposites)

House That Math Built: House Math (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Just Enough Carrots - Stuart Murphy (comparing quantities)

Look Both Ways, City Math (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Missing Math, A Number Mystery - Loreen Leedy (why we need numbers)

Mystery of the Sunken Treasure: Sea Math (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Pigs in the Corner - Amy Axelrod (directions)

Pterodactyl Tunnel: Amusement Park Math (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Right in Your Own Backyard: Nature Math (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Rosie's Walk - Pat Hutchins (spatial relationships)

Search For the Mystery Planet: Space Math (I Love Math) - Time Life Books

Seven Chinese Brothers - Margaret Mahy (cause/effect, relationship chain)

Some Things Go Together - Charlotte Zolotow (relationships, matching)