Picture Books about Multiplication

July 11 – National Swimming Pool Day

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About the Holiday

Today’s holiday is as simple—and refreshing—as it sounds! On a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than diving into the cool waters of an enticing pool. Whether you have a pool or enjoy going to a community pool, why not invite some friends to take the leap with you today?

Thanks to Sleeping Bear Press for sending me a copy of Too Many Pigs in the Pool for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Too Many Pigs in the Pool

Written by Wendy Hinote Lanier | Illustrated by Iris Amaya

 

On sunny days, Mr. Jenkins had his own pool routine: reading a book on the deck, taking a swim, then napping “in his floating lounge chair.” But these were solitary pursuits, and sometimes Mr. Jenkins wished he had someone to play pool games with. “One Sunday, Mr. Jenkins invited his neighbor, Ms. Peal, over for a swim.” She brought a snack and “her pet pig, Percy.” They had a fun day eating and swimming together.

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Image copyright Iris Amaya, 2022, text copyright Wendy Hinote Lanier, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

On Monday, though, when Mr. Jenkins went outside to enjoy his pool, he found two pigs already there, floating on rafts: Percy and his friend Wanda. Mr. Jenkins let them stay. On Tuesday, Mr. Jenkins discovered four pigs in his pool—just enough to play Marco Polo, as he’d always wished he could. By Thursday, there were so many pigs in the pool that there was no room for Mr. Jenkins. But he was happy to sit poolside and watch the water volleyball game that was in full swing. 

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Image copyright Iris Amaya, 2022, text copyright Wendy Hinote Lanier, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

The number of pigs in the pool kept doubling every day, and on Saturday Mr. Jenkins, home from his morning garage-sale shopping, found sixty-three pigs bobbing in the water and one about to join this wall-to-wall pigfest. Mr. Jenkins tried to stop him. Mr. Jenkins tried to warn them. But it was too late. With a cannonball leap, the sixty-fourth pig landed in the pool. 

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Image copyright Iris Amaya, 2022, text copyright Wendy Hinote Lanier, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

“The pool gave a shudder and a low groan. Then there was a loud pop.” In a moment the pigs all found themselves washed downhill in a huge, rushing wave. But all was not lost. The pigs found their way home, and Mr. Jenkins rebuilt his pool. This time, though, he added a sturdy fence around it and attached a sign banning all pigs except a welcome two. Now, Mr. Jenkins is enjoying the summer with Ms. Peal and Percy and Wanda—the perfect number of friends to play water volleyball and Marco Polo.

After reading, kids will enjoy jumping into the included activities that reinforce the math found in the story.

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Image copyright Iris Amaya, 2022, text copyright Wendy Hinote Lanier, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Wendy Hinote Lanier’s engaging and hilarious story will enchant readers as it cleverly incorporates math concepts into a rollicking story about friendship and watching what you wish for. What starts out as a simple desire by Mr. Jenkins to have company for pool games quickly explodes as the number of pigs at the pool doubles every day. Lanier’s easy-going storytelling adds depth and charm to her tale as she develops Mr. Jenkins’ personality and weekly routines, prompting kids to root for him as the week goes on. His ultimate success in finding just the right number of friends to enjoy the summer with adds up to lively story readers will enjoy all the year through.

Iris Amaya’s spirited illustrations will have kids laughing out loud at her depictions of the pigs—each of which sport unique swimsuits (some even reveal suntan marks) and gear for easy identification. Their silly antics, from belly flopping to exercising to that fateful cannonball, will have kids lingering over the pages and pointing out their favorites. Each of Amaya’s vibrant pages invites readers to count the pigs, an activity that’s sure to impress them on how quickly numbers add up when doubled in sequence. In addition to the pigs themselves, Amaya adds other details worthy of counting and/or sorting, such as the number of pigs wearing life vests and the number using floating rings; those wearing sunglasses or goggles; and those wearing a certain color swimsuit.

The number of pigs in the pool on each day is highlighted in the text with colorful type, and the addition involved in each doubling (for example: 1 + 1 = 2, 8 + 8 = 16, etc.) is portrayed at the bottom of the appropriate page spread.

Sure to make a splash with kids, Too Many Pigs in the Pool makes an exciting springboard for addition and multiplication math lessons for teachers or homeschoolers. The book will also be a favorite for giggly story times at home, school, and public libraries. A fun addition to any picture book collection.

Ages 4 – 8

Sleeping Bear Press, 2022 | ISBN 978-1534110601

Discover more about Wendy Hinote Lanier and her books on her website.

You can connect with Iris Amaya on Instagram.

National Swimming Pool Day Activity

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Courtesy of Coloring Only

Swimming Pool Coloring Page

 

You can keep the fun at the pool going even after you’ve dried off with this printable coloring page. And don’t forget to add your friends! To color this image online, visit Coloring Only.

Swimming Pool Coloring Page

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You can find Too Many Pigs in the Pool at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

July 8 – Math 2.0 Day

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About the Holiday

Today’s holiday celebrates the merging of math and technology together as the foundation of most of the things we use every day, such as computers, phones, tablets and other electronics. Math and technology are also employed by architects, scientists, researchers, and manufacturers. Math 2.0 Day was established to bring together mathematicians, programmers, engineers, educators, and managers to raise awareness of the importance of math literacy at all levels of education.

A Million Dots

By Sven Völker

 

With one green dot (and one brown rectangle) you can make a tree. Add one plus one and you can make two trees. Two plus two? Well, four trees might get a little boring. Why not put two apples on each tree? Then four people can enjoy a snack. In the autumn, those apples fall. There are four plus four dots on the ground—how many does that make? Eight!

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Copyright Sven Völker, 2019, courtesy of Cicada Books and svenvolker.com.

Eight plus eight? A nice number of dots for a ladybug’s wings. Won’t you count them? How about  adding those sixteen to another sixteen? Those thirty-two dots are still contained in a box. But thirty-two plus thirty-two? At sixty-four the dots spill out, colorful and free! Sixty-four plus sixty-four dots make one hundred and twenty-eight bubbles in a fizzy drink. Add one hundred and twenty-eight to itself and what do you get? A face full of freckles! What happens if you keep adding and adding? What can you make? Two thousand and forty-eight plus two thousand and forty-eight makes a night sky of stars, their reflections on the sea and the lights on the ship that sails it.

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Copyright Sven Völker, 2019, courtesy of Cicada Books and svenvolker.com.

Thirty-two thousand, seven hundred and sixty-eight plus thirty-two thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight makes sixty-five thousand, five hundred and thirty-six—enough dots for a soccer field to mow. Twice that is a desert of sand to scoop. Moving on to two hundred and sixty-two thousand, one hundred and forty-four plus the same, a blanket of steam streams out of a train stack five hundred and twenty-four thousand, two hundred and eighty-eight dots long, past the coal car and the long tanker car.

But what can be made when these half-a-million dots and a little are added together? One million and forty-eight thousand, five hundred and seventy-six dots filling apartment buildings, office towers, and inspiring skyscrapers in a fabulous city—maybe it’s yours!

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Copyright Sven Völker, 2019, courtesy of Cicada Books and svenvolker.com.

One, two, ten, even one hundred—you can see that number of people or items in your mind. It’s hard, though, especially for children, to visualize a thousand, a hundred thousand, a half a million, even a million. In his stylish book, Sven Völker translates these numbers into dots and uses them to create images that are both humorous and awe-inspiring. One dot nearly fills the page, but by the time the numbers have been doubled and doubled multiple times, half-a-million and then a million minuscule dots require pages that fold out and out and out and out…and out! Each number is presented in words and numbers allowing children to see and learn each interpretation. Kids who love numbers and counting and visual proofs will have a blast connecting these dots.

An entertaining and educational way to relay the idea of number to kids at home or in the classroom, A Million Dots will elicit multiple exclamations of “Wow!” as the numbers add up. 

A Million Dots is a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award winner for 2019.

Ages 4 – 12

Cicada Books, 2019 | ISBN 978-1908714664

To learn more about Sven Völker, his books, and his art, visit his website.

Math 2.0 Day Activity

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Totally Cool Mystery Phrase Math Puzzle

 

There’s no mystery to how fun math can be! Use the numerical clues in this printable Totally Cool Mystery Phrase Math Puzzle to discover a hidden message! Add the numbers under each line then use that number to find the corresponding letter of the alphabet. Write that letter in the space. Continue until the entire phrase is completed.