Math doesn’t have to be just numbers and equations—storytelling is a powerful way to bring math concepts to life. Living math books weave math into engaging narratives, helping kids connect abstract ideas to real-world scenarios. For second graders, these books are a fantastic way to explore addition, multiplication, geometry, measurement, and more. Here are 10 of my favorite living math books for second-grade learners!
1. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
This stunning book introduces the concept of measurement and scaling by showing animals or their parts in actual size. While not explicitly about multiplication, it encourages comparisons, proportional thinking, and an understanding of how measurements relate to the real world—perfect for sparking curiosity about math concepts like scaling and multiplying dimensions.
2. The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns
This clever story follows a triangle that transforms into various polygons as it adds more sides. A wonderful introduction to geometry and the properties of shapes.
3. Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander
Set in a medieval kingdom, this engaging tale introduces circles and their parts, including diameter and circumference. It’s a creative way to explore geometry with a fun narrative twist.
4. Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
What happens when you start seeing everything in life as a math problem? This humorous story explores problem-solving and critical thinking in a way that will resonate with kids.
5. One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi
This beautifully illustrated folktale introduces the concept of exponential growth through a clever girl’s plan to outsmart a greedy king. It’s a captivating way to explore multiplication and doubling.
6. The Warlord’s Beads by Virginia Walton Pilegard
Set in ancient China, this story follows a boy solving a problem with an abacus, introducing place value concepts.
7. A Place for Zero: A Math Adventure by Angeline Sparagna LoPresti
This story explains the concept of zero as a number and its role in place value, addition, and multiplication through a creative and engaging tale.
8. Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
This humorous and relatable story explores the concept of money, spending, and saving. While it focuses more on subtraction, it can tie into multiplication when discussing how small amounts add up over time, making it a great tool for teaching financial literacy and practical math.
1. How Much is a Million? by David M. Schwartz
Big numbers can be hard to imagine, but this imaginative book makes them relatable. Kids will enjoy visualizing what a million, a billion, or even a trillion looks like through creative scenarios.
10. The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang
This clever book uses riddles and visual puzzles to encourage kids to think critically and find efficient ways to solve problems, introducing concepts like grouping, multiplication, and patterns.
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