Count on Me

Gr 1-4–A young girl understands that everyone has a passion. Her father’s is art, her mother’s science, her brother’s music. Her passion is math. She sees math wherever she goes—on the playground, at the lake, in her toys, and in solving real-life problems. The girl keeps a journal of math concepts that fascinate her and this journal helps explain the concepts highlighted in the story, such as fractals, basic polygons, concentric circles, types of curves, solid figures, types of trajectories, and kinds of sets. Each journal page gives a definition for the featured concept along with illustrations. This picture book for elementary age students is a great tool for teachers to use to kick off the school year, acknowledging that everyone is good at something and that the diversity of interests and abilities is what makes the world interesting and beautiful. The book is also useful for introducing the concept of a math journal or even as an introduction or tip sheet for any of the aforementioned concepts. The illustrations are simple and succinct, with clean lines making it easy to recognize the math concepts that are being represented. The colors are subtle and applied in a manner that lends the book a fresh, clean feel.