Livingston Manor Free Library director

What will you do with your children or grandchildren on the rest of these hot summer days? Consider visiting your local library, where you will be welcomed into the air-conditioned comfort of the children’s room! After you’ve checked the library’s calendar for upcoming kids’ activities, it might be time to brush up on reading, math and science.

Math and science at the library? Yes, for those who are looking to stimulate kids’ summer-time brains, I urge you to supercharge them with math- and science-related picture books. 

Explore math concepts such as numbers and counting, size, space, and geometry while absorbing the artwork of talented illustrators. While stirring their curiosity, you’ll be engaging kids in mathematical thinking and helping to ease the transition back to school in September. 

Here is a sample of math-related picture books waiting to be enjoyed in the library or taken home and pored over with a loving adult. 

Again, Essie? Written by Jenny Lacika and illustrated by Teresa Martinez, Recommended for ages 3-6. Rafael tries to save his toys from his baby sister, Essie, by building a wall in this playful exploration of 3-D geometry and spatial reasoning. 

Zero Zebras: A Counting Book About What’s Not There, written by Bruce Goldstone and illustrated by Julien Chung, Recommended for ages 5-6.  Take a wild animal safari counting one wallaby, two tuna, three thrushes, but absolutely zero zebras. 

How Many Mice Make an Elephant and Other  Big  Questions about Size and Distance, written by Tracey Turner and illustrated by Aaron Cushley, Recommended for ages 6-7. Compare sizes and distances in an easily relatable way. For example: How many…. Flights of stairs to the top of Mount Everest? How many mice make an elephant?

Math for Kids: Fun Math Games and Activities Inspired by Awesome Mathematicians by Rebecca Rapoport, Recommended for ages 8-9. Engaging games and activities designed to bring the history and principles of math alive. 

What’s the Point of Math? A Dorling Kindersley Book, Recommended for ages 9-11. Full of crazy facts, magic tricks, and mathematical brainteasers, and beautiful illustrations. 

Board Books for young children learning to count: 

Rainbow Fish Counting by Marcus Pfister.

Count to Love by Andrea Davis Pinkney. 

The following list of science-themed picture books available through the library system has been collated by Cheryl Jones, Director of the Mamakating Library. Look for science skills like sorting, ordering, and classification, and big subjects like geology and biology.

CeCe Loves Science written by Kimberly Derting and Shelli Johannes, illustrated by Vashti Harrison, Recommended for ages 5-6. Cece and her equally curious best friend Isaac conduct experiments to see whether Cece’s dog will eat his vegetables.

A Rock is Lively created by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long, Recommended for ages 6-7. An incredible variety of rocks are showcased here in all their splendor.

Dream Big, Little Scientists written by Michelle Schaub, illustrated by Alice Potter, Recommended for ages 5-6. A bedtime lullaby for budding scientists introduces eleven branches of science.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin, written by Julia Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley, Recommended for ages 7-8. When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind written by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, illustrated by Anna Hymas, Recommended for ages 7-8. A memoir of a heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village.

There is so much to talk about with your child in each of these math and science picture books. Check them out at your public library!