1 + 1 = 5; And Other Unlikely Additions

The title of this book may have readers scratching their heads and wondering if the author missed all the classes in addition in school.  However, this book is full of fun equations that put imagination into mathematics.  Written by David LaRochelle, with digital illustrations by Brenda Sexton, this could be a nice supplemental book for children in primary math classes. It was just announced to be a finalist for the 2011 Minnesota Book Award.

One Pup's Up

The daily life of a group of puppies is the focus of this counting and rhyming story by Marsha Wilson Chall.  From the first puppy to awake in the morning ("one pup's up"), to ten puppies who tussle and "show off a peppy puppy grin". But, they eventually tire, and fall back to sleep---until---one pup's up! The watercolor and ink illustrations by Henry Cole add to the energy and spunkiness of this simple story.  Fun to share with young children.

Zachary Zormer: Shape Transformer

Every Friday in Zachary's math class, students share objects as part of a show-and-tell exercise. For three weeks in a row, Zachary forgets to bring something to show, but is able to use items from his pockets and a little ingenuity to amaze his classmates. This story will introduce readers to the mathematical concepts of area, perimeter, length and width. Each of Zachary's items are explained in detail at the back of the book. Written by Joanne Reisberg, illustrated by Devid Hohn, this could be a resource for math units.