Math! It's not just for elementary school anymore! (My favorite early math picture books)

Did you know learning about math begins early? I'm not talking learning to add and subtract, I'm talking about foundational math skills, which include things like numbers (obviously), quantities, sizes, shapes, and more. Fun fact: early math skills are a better predictor of reading skills at 3rd grade than early literacy skills!

So how can you foster early math skills? Well, one way is with books. Here are some of my favorites!

100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCOLLI by David LaRochelle and Lian Cho

Yes, they're all named Brocolli, and one by one they leave the story - until only one is left. This is a silly counting (and subtraction) book that will beg to be read over and over.

THE ANIMALS WOULD NOT SLEEP by Sara Levine and Marta Alvarez Miguens

One of the books in the fabulous Storytelling Math series. A girl tries to sort her animals into categories so that they will go to sleep, but chaos is all that ensues! A fun silly introduction to soring and categorizing, an early math skill!

BABY GOES TO MARKET by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank

Baby rides on Mama's back and is handed a number of treats by vendors at the market. Subtraction is introduces as baby eats one of each thing and puts the rest in Mama's basket.

CITY SHAPES by Diana Murry and Brian Collier

Look for shapes all around your city!

CRESCENT MOONS AND POINTED MINARETS by Hena Khan and Mehrdokht Amini

This is a lovely series that introduces shapes through a Muslim lens.

GRANDMA'S TINY HOUSE by JaNay Brown-Wood and Priscilla Burris

Grandma's house gets more and more filled by people and food. Will there be enough room for everyone inside the house? A fun family counting book.

I'M NOT SMALL by Nina Crews

A boy declares that now, he is BIG! He goes outside, and while some of the things he sees - the sky, the trees - make him feel small, he begins to notice all of the things that are smaller than he is. Comparing sizes is an early math skill!

LIA AND LUIS: WHO HAS MORE? by Ana Crespo and Giovana Medieros

Lia and Luis use various measuring methods to figure out the fairest way to share their cookies. Features words in Brazillian Portuguese. Another Storytelling Math book!

LOOK, GRANDMA! NI, ELISI! by Art Coulson and Madelyn Goodnight

Bo needs to find just the right container to hold the marbles he's bringing to display at the Cherokee National Day booth. Introduces concepts of volume and capacity.

NUMBER WORLD SERIES by Noah Leatherland

This series introduces numbers and counting using some of your child's favorite subjects, including Numbers in Space and Numbers in Sports.

ONE-OSAURUS, TWO-OSAURUS by Kim Norman and Pierre Collett-Derby

Count along with dinosaurs in this rhythmic toddler-friendly story.

PETE THE CAT AND HIS FOUR GROOVY BUTTONS by Eric Litwin and James Dean

Count along with Pete as he loses his buttons one by one when they pop off his shirt. Does Pete cry? Goodness no!

YOU ARE (NOT) SMALL by Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant

Introduces the idea of comparing sizes relative to one another. To a baby, you may be big, but to a grownup, you're small. You can be both!