Book Synopsis Common Core Standard Addressed

Bickel, C. and Nagda,

A.W. (2004). Polar
bear math: Learning
about fractions from
Klondike and Snow.
New York: Henry Holt
and Company.

This book is a non-
fiction book that
describes the life of two
polar bear cubs.
Throughout the story,
the author shows
comparisons by a page
by page illustration
using the photographs
and factual information
alongside a way to
describe how to also
show using fractions
with great descriptive
teaching. It goes
through it step by step,
teaching the meaning
and description of a
fraction, numerator, and
denominator, and then
taking it further by
discussing and
illustrating common
denominators. As the
polar bear cubs story is
being told, the authors
continue to demonstrate
many ways to use
fractions in real-world
applications.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NF.A.2
Solve word problems involving addition and
subtraction of fractions referring to the same
whole, including cases of unlike
denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction
models or equations to represent the
problem. Use benchmark fractions and
number sense of fractions to estimate
mentally and assess the reasonableness of
answers.

Hoban, T. (2000).
Cubes, cones,
cylinders, & spheres.
Green Willow Books.

This book is a wordless
book. It shows several
every day, real-life
items from balloons, to
drums, buildings, game
pieces, household
items, and food that are
identifiable by children
and illustrate a shape.
While this book has no
words, it would be
great to use in a
primary age classroom
to have students see if
they can either verbally
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1
Describe objects in the environment using
names of shapes, and describe the relative
positions of these objects using terms such
as above, below, beside, in front of, behind,
and next to.

identify or match a
shape to the item
shown. You can also,
as the standard
addresses, use relative
position descriptive
words in relation with
the photographs.


Murphy, S.J. (1997).
Divide and ride. New
York: HarperCollins
Publishers, Inc.

This book introduces
division with a
remainder. There is a
group of eleven friends
going to a carnival.
The book illustrates,
using an array, how to
divide a number such as
eleven by two with one
left over. It then shows
how to create an
additional group of two
with that extra by
adding another person
creating a new math
problem of twelve
divided by two. This
format continues with
groups of three and
four. At the end of the
book, the scenario
switches to having a
large number of seats to
fill for a ride but not
having enough riders.
The new problem is
finding out how many
more people they need
to find to fill the ride.


CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.A.2
Interpret whole-number quotients of whole
numbers, e.g., interpret 56 divided by 8 as
the number of objects in each share when 56
objects are partitioned equally into 8 shares
each.
Murphy, S.J. (2004).
100 days of cool. New
York: HarperCollins
Publishers.

This book focuses on
numbers 1-100. From
the beginning, there is a
large number line
stretched across the top
of the first two pages,
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.1
Count to 100 by ones and by tens.

plotting the number that
is being introduced as
the students count the
first 100 days of school.
This continues every
few pages when
additional numbers are
introduced. This is a
great way to show
students how numbers
can be reflected on a
line, continuing to
move up with each
larger number. Not
only does it show
numbers in whole form
but brings up fractions
at key points along the
way, as well as reflects
on how many days are
left.
Murphy, S.J. (2002).
Sluggers car wash.
New York:
HarperCollins
Publishers.

This story is about a
team who needs to raise
money for new t-shirts
before their big game.
From the beginning, it
shows children
problem-solving which,
in itself, is a great skill
to get across in a
childrens book. The
team decides to have a
carwash and discusses
how much they need to
charge to reach their
goal. The book does a
great job of showing
that its not just as
simple as having a car
wash. There are
expenses involved to
get started. The focus
of this book is to teach
money counting skills.
It first does this by
sorting the dollars and
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.C.7
Solve word problems involving dollar bills,
quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using
dollar and cent symbols appropriately.

coins into like groups
and counting the
amount of each, then
adding them all
together. Not only does
this book show how to
count money but it also
shows how to give back
change by counting it
back. This is a great
skill children need to
learn. During the story,
the parents had said that
they would double the
amount raised by the
kids. At the end, it
illustrates this by
showing what that
means and the total
amount then raised.

Murphy, S.J. (1998). A
fair bear share. New
York: HarperCollins
Publishers.

This book discusses
and illustrates
regrouping. As the bear
cubs bring back their
items they are
collecting, mama bear
explains that sorting
them by groups of ten
and putting the extras
aside, adding up the
items can go much
quicker. The book uses
great vocabulary like
altogether and
illustrates the grouping
of ten in a way that is
easy to follow and
understand. It does a
great job of circling a
new group of ten from
the extras and adding it
into a tens-like column
illustrating an
additional group of ten.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.C.4
Add within 100, including adding a two-
digit number and a one-digit number, and
adding a two-digit number and a multiple of
10, using concrete models or drawings and
strategies based on place value, properties of
operations, and/or the relationship between
addition and subtraction; relate the strategy
to a written method and explain the
reasoning used. Understand that in adding
two-digit numbers, one adds tens and tens,
ones and ones; and sometimes it is necessary
to compose a ten.

Murphy, S.J. (1998).
Lemonade for sale.
New York:
HarperCollins
Publishers.

Bar graphs is the focus
of this book that shows
a group of children
trying to figure out how
many cups of lemonade
they need to sell over a
week period to make
enough money to fix
their clubhouse. This
book not only shows
how to create a bar
graph by noting what
goes across the bottom
and what goes along the
side but also how to fill
it in along the way
making sure to go over
and then up. The
illustrations are clear to
show how to make sure
you are marking the
correct spot on the
graph. I also like that it
teaches that the plan is
not one that will
succeed without work
and that not every day
will be a great day. It
teaches
disappointments but
also how to push
through those and not
lose focus on the goal.
Sometimes it just takes
a little more creativity.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.D.10
Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with
single-unit scale) to represent a data set with
up to four categories. Solve simple put-
together, take-apart, and compare problems
using information presented in a bar graph.

Murphy, S.J. (2005).
Leaping lizards. New
York, HarperCollins
Publishers.

With bright, fun
illustrations, this book
shows how to count by
5s and 10s to fifty.
Using rhythm and
rhyme, the author and
illustrator create words
and pictures that show
how counting single
objects and grouping
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.2
Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s,
and 100s. (I know this standard says up to
1000 and by 100s. While this does not apply
to this book exactly since it is only up to 50
and skip-counting by only 5s and 10s, I did
not find a standard in a lower grade that
represented this skill.)

them by 5s and then 10s
can help counting to
fifty go quicker. Each
group of five lizards is
shown in a set while
linking them together
into those groups to
create a larger number.
A little ways into the
book, the author is
creative is saying that
he has lost count, which
happens, and how
counting them by 5s or
10s since the groups
have been drawn out
can make the
recounting go by much
quicker.

Murphy, S.J. (2004).
Tally OMalley. New
York: HarperCollins
Publishers.

While the title pretty
much gives it away, the
skill of focus in this
book is tallying. This is
a relatable story in that
it discussed going on a
road trip and the
boredom and frustration
that can arise. We
often find games we
can play while driving
down the road to help
the time go by. This
family decides to play
the tally game. They
each choose a color and
whenever they see
something of that color,
they get to make a tally
mark on some paper.
The book does a great
job from the first
illustration of making a
bundle with each five to
make the counting
easier later on.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.C.4
Organize, represent, and interpret data with
up to three categories; ask and answer
questions about the total number of data
points, how many in each category, and how
many more or less are in one category than
in another.

Throughout the story,
the family members
choose different items
to look out for and tally
up. This book does a
great job of illustrating
how tallies work the
purpose behind them.
It is a skill students
need to learn and can
learn in a fun way that
they can relate to.

Murphy, S.J. (2001).
Missing mittens. New
York: HarperCollins
Publishers.

The focus of this book is
odd and even numbers.
While the focus of this
book is math, it also used
rhythm and rhyme in it
which is always an added
benefit. Using odd and
even numbers from one to
eight, this book does a
great job of demonstrating
what is a pair and what is
not as well as why pairs of
something is important,
with some humor behind
why the second of the pair
is missing. This is a fun,
short book that would be
good for a winter read
about needing mittens due
to the cold. Each person
or animal that needs their
mittens is missing one of
the set. Through
illustration on the thing
needing the mitten, the
book shows how pairs of
things go together. At the
end of the book, there is a
page that shows each odd
number and even number
of mittens clearly drawn
out so it gives a great
visual to the students as a
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.OA.C.3
Determine whether a group of objects
(up to 20) has an odd or even number
of members, e.g., by pairing objects
or counting them by 2s; write an
equation to express an even number
as a sum of two equal addends.

follow-up to what just
happened.



Reference
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/