Early Math Literacy Books and Resources

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Early literacy is a common topic of conversation, but we often forget how important it is to cultivate a love of math and the various topics it encompasses. Children who are entering kindergarten should be able to count, sort, recognize numbers and basic shapes, and understand the concepts of size and measurement. Here is a list of books and resources that will help children prepare for kindergarten, explore different math topics, and foster a love of math.

Books:

1 What Will Fit? by Grace Lin



Recommended for ages 0-3

This book explores spatial sense and offers further activities to explore spatial sense in the back of the book. If you are a fan of this one, make sure to check out the rest of this series!

2 Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill



Recommended for ages 0-3

This book focuses on spatial reasoning and features cute animals and interactive flaps.

3 Pete the Cat and the Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin


Recommended for ages 2-5

This book counts backwards while teaching a great lesson to children about positivity as Pete the Cat loses a button at a time.

4 Bears on Chairs by Shirley Parenteau



Recommended for ages 2-6

This adorable rhyming book includes themes of sharing and problem solving while also featuring the math-based themes of counting and size relationships.

5 Pitter Pattern by Joyce Hesselberth



Recommended for ages 2-6

This book has fun with patterns and where you might find them in daily life.

6 100 bugs! A Counting Book by Suzanne Kaufman



Recommended for ages 3-6

This is a great book that helps teach counting, addition, and number bonds.

7 Pattern Fish by Trudy Harris



Recommended for ages 3-6

This is a super fun book that gets kids excited about various patterns including sizes, shapes, and numbers.

8 One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller by Kate Read


Recommended for ages 3-6

This is a very simple and fun counting book that allows adults to build conversation about how readers think the story might develop with an unexpected twist at the end.

9 City Shapes by Diana Murray



Recommended for ages 4-8

Rhyming text and colorful art introduces readers to various shapes you can find throughout the city, but it is fun to challenge kids to find other shapes on each page too.

10 We Are One: How the World Adds Up by Susan Hood


Recommended for ages 4-10

This book has something for readers of all ages. Rhyming prose introduces children to the concept that parts make up a whole, but footnotes allow older readers to delve deeper into topics. This book also has beautiful art with a meaningful message.

 

Further Math Resources for Kids:

Beyond books, there are great free resources available for kids building math skills.

1. Young Mathematicians 

This is a nonprofit organization that promotes early math. Their website provides great games that you can play with little to no materials. Instructional videos and printable books are also available in multiple languages.

2. PBS Kids

PBS Kids offers some fun math-based computer games on their website.

3. Library Programs

Worcester Public Library's programs also serve as a great resource for exploring math. For example, for children 0-5, there are storytimes like Math Storytime and STEAM & Stories that incorporate early math into stories, songs, and activities. For school-age children, Saturday Drop-In STEM Activities offers kids a chance to try new activities and learn about science, technology, engineering, and math. Make sure to check out our online calendar to explore the various programs offered each month!

I hope these books and resources help you explore math through books, games, and more!

-Alyssa

at March 15, 2025 0 comments

Women's History Month Book Recommendations

Saturday, March 1, 2025

March is Women's History Month. In celebration, we have made a list of inspiring books and podcasts featuring strong women.

Picture Books

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

This rhyming picture book follows a very curious girl named Ada who has the heart of a scientist. If you enjoy this book, it is the first in a series!

Bunheads by Misty Copeland

This is a book about ballerina Misty Copeland and her friends working hard to achieve their goals while encouraging one another.

Under My Hijab by Hena Khan

This book depicts different members of the narrator's family, discussing their personalities, hobbies, and jobs and showing them wearing different hijabs in public and then taking them off in private. It is an empowering story about how girls can do anything they like.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca

Told in rhyming prose, this book discusses Temple Grandin, an American scientist and inventor diagnosed with autism at a young age. This book depicts how Temple Grandin used her unique mind and visual thinking to help achieve her goals.

Oona in the Arctic by Kelly DiPucchio


In this fun picture book, Oona finds a baby beluga whale and goes on an adventure to help it return home to the arctic.

Ambitious Girl by Meena Harris



This is a beautiful and inspiring picture book dedicated to encouraging young girls to be ambitious and unapologetically themselves.

Islandborn by Junot Diaz

After a teacher asks her class to draw a picture of where they are from, Lola talks to her community to learn more about the island, its culture, and why people left. This colorful picture book is a beautiful discussion of community, identity, and memory. 



This picture book empowers women and encourages us to see everyday people as special. It has amazing representation and discusses people on all walks of life.

Middle Grade 

Ann Fights for Freedom: An Underground Railroad Survival Story by Nikki Shannon Smith

This story follows twelve-year-old Ann who is a slave in 1854. When Ann learns that her master is planning to sell her and her brother, separating them from each other and their parents, she knows she and her family must run away on the Underground Railroad and journey to the North where they can be free. When Ann's father is separated from the rest of her family, Ann must become the leader. 

Gloria Takes a Stand: How Gloria Steinem Listened, Wrote, and Changed the World by Jessica M. Rinker

This illustrated book tells the story of Gloria Steinem's life, how she fought for equal rights, and how her work impacts today.

Someday is Now by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

This powerful book introduces Clara Luper, a teacher and Civil Rights activist who fought against segregation in the 1950s through methods including education and demonstration like sit-ins. 

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson

This graphic novel series follows a group of five friends - Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley - who are determined to have a great time at summer camp and they won't let magic quests or supernatural beasts get in the way.

Melissa by Alex Gino

George has always known that she is a girl, even though her family has always seen her as a boy. This novel follows George as she advocates for herself, both in school and at home.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 

This book follows Ada, a beautifully courageous character who boards a train with her brother in an evacuation from WWII Germany. Ada had grown up abused by her Mam due to her untreated club foot, and in her escape to the country, she learns the healing powers of respect and love.

Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

This historic graphic novel has very few words. It tells its beautiful, empathy-building story mainly through pictures that use color as a powerful tool. The story follows Marisol, who has to leave her home in Cuba in 1961 for safety, as she builds a life in New York.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tola Okogwu

Follow Onyekachi, a British Nigerian Girl who learns that she is a Solari with special powers. This series follows Onyekachi as she attends a boarding school and learns about her powers. 

Just Roll with It by Lee Durfey-Lavoie

This graphic novel follows Maggie, who a middle schooler with OCD who just joined her school's role-playing game club. Following Maggie and a great team of secondary characters, this book discusses friendship, family, and mental health.

 Middle Grade Podcasts:

The Magic Sash

This podcasts is both a fun adventure story and an educational resource. The story follows two children who time travel learning about the history of women's rights and meeting historic figures like Susan B. Anthony.

She Sounds Like Me

This is an unscripted talk show hosted by a mother-daughter duo discussing a variety of complex topics from anxiety and friendship to systemic racism and body image.

Rebel Girls: Growing Up Powerful

Join Asha and Jestine in talking about important topics from managing money and handling emotions to learning languages and loving yourself. This podcast has sometimes features expert guests and includes themes of self compassion, empathy, and communication.

Parenting

Sexism & Sensibility: Raising Empowered, Resilient Girls in the Modern World by Jo-Ann Finkelstein, Ph.D.

In this book, Finkelstein uses a wealth of research to highlight the challenges young girls face, including misogyny, body image, sexual development, and more, and provide advice to parents to help navigate raising daughters, encouraging them to think for themselves and recognize their worth. 

Parent Like It Matters: How to Raise Joyful, Change-Making Girls by Janice Johnson Dias, Ph.D.

Johnson Dias presents this four part book as a program for "raising self-realized girls," using research from psychologists and pediatricians along with her tips and guidance.

Anything But My Phone, Mom! : Raising Emotionally Resilient Daughters in the Digital Age by Roni Cohen-Sandler, PhD

Cohen-Sandler's research-based guide discusses how technology is transforming teens' experiences, helps teens develop skills and habits to handle challenges technology presents,  and coaches readers through other relevant challenges such as dating, parental divorce, and college preparation. 


I hope you found something on this list that sparks your interest. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or topics that you would like me to write about!

-Alyssa
at March 01, 2025 0 comments

Black History Month Book Recomendations

Friday, February 14, 2025

February is Black History Month. In celebration of the month, here is a list of amazing books about Black history and culture.

All Ages

Sing a Song: How "Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations by Kelly Starling Lyons 

This is a beautiful story about a song that inspired generations to fight for their rights.

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed


This book tells the inspiring tale of a girl who wants to be an astronaut and achieves her dream. It is based on the life of Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel to space, and it will encourage young readers to dream big.

We March by Shane W. Evans

This book recounts the March on Washington, which ended at the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his I Have A Dream speech. This book discusses that famous day in simple and powerful words making this book truly for everyone.

Follow Chester by Gloria Repress-Churchwell



This book follows Chester Pierce, the first black football player to play in the south. It tells an inspiring true story about how unity makes change.

Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson by Leda Schubert


This picture book tells the story of Raven Wilkinson, the first African American woman to dance for a major ballet company.

Rooting for Plants: the Unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist and Collector by Janice Harrington


This book recounts the life of Charles S. Parker, a Black botanist who served as a First Lieutenant in World War I and then mentored many future Black Scientists as a professor at Howard University.  

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson


This book recounts the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama by following a young Black girl's participation with her brother. Powerful oil paintings depict the horrible realities of the march including children being hosed, arrested, and jailed. The book includes additional information on the civil rights movement including a timeline, afterword, and bibliography.

I Am Enough by Grace Byers




This beautiful picture book is an ode to loving oneself and one another.

When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke



In this powerful picture book, a Black child's parents explain the concept of Black Lives Matter and its many meanings.  

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly





This powerful true story recounts the lives of four Black women who worked at NASA to help get people to space. It describes the adversity that these women faced including racism and segregation laws. The book includes biographies on Dorothy Jackson Vaughan, Mary Winston Jackson, Katherine Colman Goble Johnson, and Dr. Christine Mann Darden.

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry




In this adorable picture book, a little girl who loves her hair needs a little help from her father for a hairstyle for a special day. 

Sing, Aretha, Sing!: Aretha Franklin, "Respect," and the Civil Rights Movement by Hanif Abdurraqib

This inspiring picture book tells the story of Aretha Franklin's life and her role in the civil rights movement. 

I Promise by Lebron James



This uplifting picture book written by Lebron James lists promises children can make that emphasize persistence, accountability, and kindness.

Middle Grade Books



This comprehensive introduction explores and contextualizes individuals, events, and social and political movements in African American history. Beginning with slavery, this book follows a linear timeline through to the 21st century where it discusses Barack Obama's presidency and Black Lives Matter.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks


This debut middle grade novel tells the story of twelve-year-old Zoe who is navigating family and friendship. The story begins when she receives a letter from her father who is in prison. While talking with her father and trying to clear his name, Zoe learns about institutionalized racism and injustices in the criminal justice system.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson



This memoir told in verse with evocative, descriptive language transports the reader to the 1960s and 70s when Woodson was born and growing up. The book depicts racism and civil rights movements through Woodson and her family's experiences.

One Last Word by Nikki Grimes

This powerful collection of poetry juxtaposes famous poetry from the Harlem Renaissance, including Gwendolyn Bennett and Langston Hughes, with Grimes's own poetry and artwork by contemporary Black artists.

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia


This book is a beautiful collection of stories, comics, and poems from seventeen male and non-binary authors about the power, joy, and wonders of Black boyhood.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia


What happens when seventh-grader Tristan Strong punches a tree and accidently rips a hole into the MidPass? Kwame Mbalia weaves this tale of Tristan trying to save his world together with Black American Folk heroes and West African gods. 

Speak Up, Speak Out : The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm" by Tonya Bolden

This is an inspiring biography of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. The book focuses on Chisholm's character and her longing for an America free from discrimination and poverty. 

Parenting Books

How to Raise an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

How do we talk to children about racism and how do racist structures in our society impact children? In this book, Ibram X. Kendi explores these topics using his experience as a parent and his studies as a professor in the Humanities.

Social Justice Parenting: How to Raise Compassionate, Anti-Racist, Justice-Minded Kids in an Unjust World by Dr. Traci Baxley


Dr. Traci Baxley, a professor of Education and mother of five, considers parenting to be a form of activism due to a parent's influence in raising compassionate and socially-conscious children. This book provides parents with resources to recognize and reconcile their own biases and teach their children about social justice. 

I hope you found something from this list that you are looking forward to reading. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

-Alyssa

at February 14, 2025 0 comments
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