(2) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Hsu. In a cheerful picture book populated by Hsu’s inquisitive cartoon humans, Albee traces the history of the number zero. From the ancient Babylonians who invented place value four thousand years ago, to the Romans who developed a system of Vs, Is, and Xs; from the Mayans who had a concept of zero but no way to spread their idea to the rest of the world, to the Indian scribe who invented a symbol for zero and the Persian mathematician who popularized it, the invention of zero was a worldwide effort with triumphs and setbacks. Parts of Europe were perhaps the last to adopt the Hindu-Arabic number system, with Roman numerals persisting into the eighteenth century in some banking operations. (A timeline gives a “blurry” portrait of when various ­developments occurred.) The narrative treads lightly but doesn’t gloss over ways in which Western xenophobia and religious fanaticism delayed zero’s adoption. Meanwhile, the illustrations get into the spirit of archaeological inquiry with touches such as heritage breeds of dogs and sheep in the portrayal of historical communities and a nod to Halley’s comet. Philosophical considerations (“why create a symbol to represent nothing?”) and mention of the fields (e.g., physics, computing) that arose as a result of the Hindu-Arabic number system round out the presentation, while a few notes about definitions, a world map, and a bibliography complete the back matter. Place this book in the hands of a budding numerophile and watch them start to put two and two together.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA Verity "Very" Nelson is very good at many things: she has just won her third term as student council president and is called "the gold standard of middle school politics." She is also first chair clarinet, has the highest grades in English and social studies, is undefeated in the debate club, and can do the most pushups in gym class. But math? That's not going so well. And if she doesn't pass it, the principal will force her to resign from student council. After intensive tutorials and studying, her grade is still low. When she transposes numbers on a custom T-shirt order for a fundraiser and it results in hundreds of unreturnable shirts for dogs ("Shirtgate"), her teacher realizes this wasn't just a clerical error: Verity has dyscalculia, a math learning disability. This engaging graphic novel sheds light on middle-school dynamics, bullying, and the lesser-known learning disability of dyscalculia in a way that's respectful and sensitive (though there is a brief, incorrect reference to ADHD as a learning disability). Panels take a variety of shapes and sizes that jigsaw together in visually appealing ways. Readers will be rooting for Very, who shows us that while people who have learning disabilities may be challenged by them, they may also be gifted in other ways.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Number Tours for Curious Kids series. Illustrated by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Berne's counts and measures of the cells and organs of the human body illustrate just how remarkable -- and quantifiable -- we are. "Did you know" that we are composed of "30 trillion cells," eight thousand taste buds, and "60,000 miles" of blood vessels? Or that "15 million cells in your body were replaced by new ones in the time it took you to read this sentence"? Numerous other facts about our sensory organs and digestive, skeletal, respiratory, and circulatory systems are equally impressive. The organized layouts include diagrammatic illustrations that effectively portray each system, often within a child-size human body outline, accompanied by text on scraps of lined notebook paper that appear taped onto the pages. The end notes should not be skipped, as they include noteworthy details about the various systems, additional number facts, and an important statement about the degree of certainty of some of the numbers. An interactive section at the very end of the book encourages readers to measure their own bodies and to calculate the volume of their blood, their heart rate, and number of bones in their hands.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Víctor Medina. For each number -- from zero to one hundred -- Lape provides several facts, including a section that spells out the word for each number in four different languages and shows how to write the number in different numeral systems; a section to visually demonstrate the number; and a “Do the Math” section that lists mathematical attributes. Non-mathematical facts ("there are towns named Sixteen in both Kentucky and Montana”) are also included. Medina’s colorful illustrations add interest to the book, perfect for trivia lovers and burgeoning mathematicians.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) PS These lift-the-flap books creatively showcase threatened or endangered creatures (Countdown) and the ABCs (Alphabet; a reissue from 2003, rev. 1/04). In Countdown, left-hand pages present a spelled-out number, beginning with ten and counting down to one, on a textured mixed-media background that hints at a habitat. Right-hand pages (which lift up) are matte colors with square or rectangular die-cuts revealing additional glimpses of the scene below -- and in the general shape of the numeral being highlighted. The number nine, for example, shows a glimpse of an elephant's curled-up trunk, and eight is the negative space of a giraffe's markings. They're not all obvious; careful looking and use of imagination are bonuses, and additional creature facts are appended. Alphabet goes from A to Z, with clean black backgrounds and a word on every page (arrowhead, balloons, yolk, zipper8). From Lolly Robinson's original Magazine review: "Lift the flaps and foreground turns background as pictured images become the negative space defining the letter form...This is great bookmaking, and a snazzy -- though sophisticated -- addition to the alphabet bookshelf." Sturdy flaps; thoughtfully placed and well-sized die cuts; abundant surprises; and visual delights make both of these volumes welcome and artistically elevated concept books. Review covers these fall 2024 titles: Animal Countdown and The Hidden Alphabet.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Satwik Gade. Born in 1887 in southern India, Srinivasa Ramanujan would, before his untimely death in 1920, become one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century. In an admiring view of an extraordinary individual, Narayanan chronicles Ramanujan's life: from curious young son of a clerk who sees numbers and patterns wherever he gazes, to his travels to Cambridge, England, where he impresses Europe's greatest mathematicians with his novel approaches to numerical thinking, and finally to his illness-induced return to India and death. The clear and succinct text explains Ramanujan's mathematical ideas in a thoroughly understandable manner. Gade's vivid digital art displays Ramanujan's unique mathematical daydreams for readers, helping them to begin to see the patterns that fascinated him. Numbers, patterns, graphs, and diagrams are scattered within most spreads, helping convey the idea that his mind never strayed from his obsession with numbers. Significant back matter (including an informative author's note, a glossary, and an explanation of magic squares) allows Narayanan to fully flesh out Ramanujan's continued importance to both the field of mathematics and the people of India.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bryony Clarkson. A simple rhyming verse remarks on a pattern among some snowflakes: "Two flakes play / Four flakes sashay / Eight flakes twirl / Sixteen flakes swirl." Sidebars on each spread explain the pattern, e.g.: "2[exponent]4 = 2 to the fourth power / 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16." Painted paper collages of a fenced-in wintry backyard featuring birch trees, a swing set, and various birds and animals are overlaid with the exact number of snowflakes mentioned in the text--which quickly rises to a dizzying multitude (the text stops at 2[exponent]14 = 16,384). The beautifully textured illustrations create visual interest, while the snowflakes, a combination of smudge-style dots and the delicately articulated, folded papercut versions familiar from grade-school arts and crafts, offer a counting opportunity for budding numerophiles. The story progression works on more than one level: not only does the math demonstrate the power of exponential growth (a postscript explains "What Is an Exponent?" and gives the example of a one-celled fertilized egg that divides repeatedly until it turns into a baby and then an adult with trillions of cells), but the increasing number of flakes also mimics the feeling of a storm that begins slowly and soon becomes a dazzling onslaught of snow. The book ends on a more human scale: "One snow day. Two friends play. 2[exponent]1 = 2 to the first power / 2 = 2."

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Linda Yan. Math meets philosophy, as Hood views numbers, specifically groups of one to ten, through a unique and ­thought-provoking lens: the Aristotelian concept that the whole can be greater--more useful, more remarkable, more valuable--than its ­individual components. "One can be one thing / all on its own-- / one star, / one stream, / one stick, / one stone. / But those on their toes, those using their smarts, / know one can be more than the sum of its parts." Take, for instance, "one stick." When combined with other sticks, what can it be? More than just a woodpile, as Hood explains. It can be a campfire, a nest, or even a dam. Upbeat rhyming couplets offer more examples of other numeric groupings: two pieces of bread make a sandwich; two vows, a marriage. Three lines make up a haiku; three letters, the word you. At the bottom of each page, tidbits in prose provide helpful explanations, related trivia, and meaningful extras. Textured and whimsical, Yan's digital illustrations feature a young girl dressed as a golden-yellow star who, ultimately, is joined by a diverse "constellation" of other star-children to celebrate the oneness of humanity. Sources, websites (including a kid-friendly list), and examples of other numeric groups are appended.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(3) K-3 As he did with Animals by the Numbers, Jenkins uses his signature cut-paper collage combined with computer-generated graphics and informative text to make complex information accessible. Topics include both natural and human-made disasters, including volcanic eruptions, disease, drought, and famine. In many cases, Jenkins makes connections among them, explaining, for example, that natural disasters like drought are exacerbated by human activity (e.g., war), making famines more destructive. A glossary and bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Sara Infante. "An eight is two circles, / One high and one low-- / Like the jolly fat fellow / You build out of snow." Rhyming quatrains describe the shape of each number and relate it to images in the mixed-media illustrations, whose casually diverse cast of dynamically exaggerated adult and child figures picnic, bike, whale watch, and go trick-or-treating in a vibrant retro palette. Subtle dotted lines tracing the number shapes are repeated in the "How many numbers can you spy?" seek-and-find at book's end. A final spread uses images from the illustrations as counters to show zero to nine in this preschool-appropriate number- and counting-palooza.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Miyares. This eloquently written picture-book biography gives voice to the brilliant--and self-taught--mathematician Srinivasa Iyengar Ramanujan. Born in South India in the late nineteenth century, Ramanujan was a late talker, and when he finally did speak, his unusual questions set him apart. "What is small?...And what is big?" As the boy thought long and hard about infinity, "numbers leaped and roared." However, "in school, numbers were different, stiff and straight, obeying the rules." After he flunked out of college (he ignored his non-math courses), his mother arranged a ­marriage for him, and he ­eventually found work as a clerk in Madras. Encouraged by local mathematicians and his British supervisors, he wrote letters to the top mathematicians at Cambridge University. In 1914, Ramanujan traveled to England, eager to share his mathematical insights--and to no longer feel isolated, "like the first man in the world with no one to hear me speak." Alznauer employs a handful of Tamil words to good effect, and articulately conveys the concept of infinity. She also revisits, quite poignantly, Ramanujan's spiritual anchor--his grandmother's dream of a Hindu goddess who promised to "write the thoughts of God on [his] tongue." Miyares's ink-wash illustrations play with light and dark in realistic scenes and whimsical number-filled spreads. An author's note includes further biographical details and explains that many of the thoughts and quotes are "inspired by" Ramanujan's actual words; a bibliography is also appended.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Isabel Greenberg. Fishman and Greenberg engagingly highlight the wondrousness of numbers, stars, and just about everything about our home planet. Fishman exchanges science writing's traditional stiffness for a confiding tone. Greenberg, too, eschews physical correctness in her kinetic digital art: she presents kids who hoist the earth, fly around the world, and otherwise defy the laws of physics in order to illustrate the ideas presented.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) PS Originally published in 1985 in Japan, Gomi's latest import is a delightful exploration of the many ways in which "numbers are everywhere!" Written in short, declarative sentences, the text points out that numbers have many uses, from telling time to indicating temperature to identifying prices and so on. Gomi's illustrations balance plenty of white space with colorful, expressive vignettes featuring a variety of children and adults.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) PS Back matter situates this simply presented, graphically crisp, and straightforward concept book in the Art Deco District of Miami Beach. Skillful close-up photographs of architectural elements introduce numbers from one to ten, shapes (including more complex ones such as octagons and zigzags), and colors, culminating in an open-ended identification game. Reminiscent of Tana Hoban's work, the book feels both vintage and timeless.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(2) PS Illustrated by Ross MacDonald. A panicked numeral 6 visits gumshoe "Private I" after hearing that 7 ate 9: "Now he's after me." The laconic I responds that "technically, he's always after you" but nevertheless promises his aid. The number jokes and puns are chased relentlessly through the story, aided by pictures that humorously personify numerals and letters and place the action in the not-too-mean streets of an old-timey big city.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) PS Illustrated by Alicia Padrón. Each spread introduces a number ("Good night, four paws. / Good night, kitty cat. / Goodnight, four froggies / on the bathroom mat"), while soft bedtime scenes contain what's described plus corresponding sets of objects (four rubber ducks, four towels, etc.). Though the rhyming text is lackluster, kids may enjoy scouring the pictures for items to count. Notes provide adult-aimed tips for using the purposeful book.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 One day, this book's pig narrator, employed as Assistant Bean Counter No. 1138, seeks shelter from the rain at a bookstore, where the stories he reads unleash his imagination (perhaps he's an acrobat?). His hand-wringing over whether to follow "the old story" (essentially an unexamined life) may alienate young readers; hopefully, they'll stick around for Rock's sepia-toned watercolors, which exhibit Tim Burton–esque whimsy.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicola Anderson. Tate, found in a pumpkin patch, grows up misunderstood; he has difficulty in school but shows an affinity for numbers. His mom begins to understand Tate's special talents when his counting and math prowess helps sell their produce at the market. With slick cartoonlike illustrations that include diverse characters (and many counting opportunities), this is a well-intentioned but heavy-handed plea to understand children of different abilities.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) PS "Five, ten, / fifteen, twenty. / Stacks of bricks, / bricks aplenty!" Zealous rhymes and art that is almost M. C. Escher–like in its level of detail present a diverse group of workers making and stacking bricks, mixing mortar, and finally building elaborate structures. This fantasy (many of the hard-hatted workers are children) may be just the thing for the Lego-minded.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Tired of numeral life, Three searches for another job, trying out ear bud, hair band, ship's anchor, sculpture, and more. When he discovers that the fair is closed because there are no three-tries-for-a-dollar games, three-legged races, triple-scoop ice cream cones, etc., he realizes his value and rejoins the other numbers. The story lacks energy, but graphically sophisticated scratchboard art encourages shape and number recognition.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden