Engaging with Mathematics through Picture Books

This book will help teachers engage children aged from 3 to 8 with mathematics through rich mathematical and literacy experiences. Each chapter focuses on different mathematical content or domains and has been written by leading mathematics educators and researchers.

The book can be used as a form of professional learning and a springboard to developing your own exciting literature-based mathematics lesson by:

• using the ideas in the book as they are
• adapting them for the needs of your learners
• taking the ideas and applying them to different books

Some of the features include identification of key mathematical ‘big ideas’, anticipation of misconceptions and difficulties, and planning frameworks showing how the lessons can be enacted and extended. Chapter 1 discusses how to engaging children in mathematics through the use of literature. Subsequent chapters deal with early number concepts; place value and number facts; patterning and algebraic thinking; smaller and bigger numbers; measurement concepts; geometrical concepts; chance and probability; data handling and statistics; proficiencies through children’s literature and other media.

After reading each chapter and completing many of our suggestions, we are confident you will embrace this resource, and see the potential for incorporating children's literature to engage children in rich mathematical learning.