There is no shortage of books that integrate math with literacy, the trick is finding just the right ones! These multiplication books address it in various ways and some of them are written by a few of my favorite authors!
I should forewarn you, none of these book actually teach facts. There are some facts involved, but they’re mostly conceptual or made to engage students in thought processes.
Also, when I’ve talked about multiplication books with teachers, I sometimes get asked why I didn’t include the M&Ms or Skittles books. I have good reason. Personally, I think those books are fun and would make a great day to explore and review many math concepts. I would use them in place of a party even. But they’re not targeted to just multiplication. I put them more in the spiral review category.
For this blog post I wanted to address books that were specifically targeted to multiplication. So let’s get started!
1- Amanda Bean’s Amazing Dream – By Liza Woodruff
Amanda’s story addresses the WHY of multiplying – This book uses arrays in real life situations all over the place and repeated addition to show why multiplication is important. In addition to talking about the multiplication/addition relationship, there are rich visuals that can be used to spur many discussions.
In this story, Amanda doesn’t want to learn how to multiply. She loves to count, but doesn’t think multiplication is all that useful. Spoiler alert, she learns otherwise.
As far as as which skills this book addresses, it is mostly conceptual. It shows groups and arrays, but is not meant to teach facts or be brain hacks for them.
One of the most awesome things about Amanda Bean’s Amazing Dream is the end! Marilyn Burns activities are in the back. Her activities and discussions are always great. I had a chance to see Marilyn Burns speak in person once and she’s just so calm, yet so amazing. She’s a master at spurring mathematical thought, journaling, and discussion.
One extension idea for this book – You could have your class collaboratively write (or do individually) another page of the story. Amanda’s encounters with the possibilities of multiplication are often individualized to each page so it would be easy to create another part of the narrative where she passes another store, or sees another array. Kids could dig into their own lives for examples of how they encounter multiplication everyday.
2- 2×2=Boo – By Loreen Leedy (I just had to put this at number 2 to go with the title 😉
I always love Loreen Leedy books. If you’re not familiar with her writing and you teach elementary, look her up. Fraction Action is another favorite of mine. But I digress, we’re talking multiplication today.
This one is also mostly conceptual. It sticks to facts 0-5 so it’s best introduced in the early stages of learning the math facts. Also, each fact the character discusses are illustrated to help reinforce the ideas behind multiplication.
A lot of teachers address multiplication near the beginning of the year, and this could easily fit with Halloween unit or possibly a bat unit.
Bonus! Loreen Leedy has a blog where she discusses math activities using her books! It’s definitely worth checking out so I will link it here.
3- The Grapes of Math – By Greg Tang
This book is more about fun ways to use multiplication to solve problems.
Greg Tang books are also great. He’s another favorite math book author of mine. I find the kids really love his books as well. They tend to have riddles and rhymes that are engaging and ask questions that the kids get into.
This book has problems that use multiplication to answer, but also use other types of math in combination. For example, he might have a riddle where it’s easier to multiply and then subtract to find an answer rather than count. You’re definitely adding to critical thinking when discussing his books.
I find this book to provide a fun and lower pressure way to encounter multiplication because kids feel like they’re playing with math rather than working on it.
The problems provided in this one will spur some great conversations about the many ways to solve each one.
The pages of this book could be done one problem a day as part of routine. They’re set up in a way that each page or two pages is its own riddle and doesn’t really need the continuity of continuing a storyline.
One of the best parts is that the author provides answers in the back to help solve each page and to understand some of the clues he gives for different ways to solve the problems.
4- Math Potatoes – By Greg Tang
Another Greg Tang book about multiplication! His poetry and fun scenarios provide lots of opportunities for students to practice problem solving and discuss math in amusing and engaging ways. Mr. Tang’s plays on words always entertain me, but I’ve always been partial to puns.
This book has a lot of the same benefits as The Grapes of Math so I won’t rehash them here. Just know that there’s no such thing as too many Greg Tang math children’s books!
5- 7×9=Trouble- By Claudia Mills
I love this one for two reasons:
1- It’s a chapter book! It’s written at about a third grade level but it would make a great read aloud.
2- It talks about the kids who struggle with memorizing the multiplication facts. I think it’s important for those kids to know they’re not alone; and, for the kids who easily memorize, that it’s not the same for everyone. This book encourages both perseverance and empathy.
Claudia Mills has a few tips/tricks to help memorize facts but mostly I like it because it’s about the kid who struggles to pass his math facts tests. His feelings, his hard work and disappointment, his hopes…the struggle is real.
