Mathematizing Children's Literature

“Allison and Tony have crafted such a joyful resource for educators to leverage together a love for literature, a love for math, and an intense desire to better listen to and honor the voices and lived experiences of the children who grace our classroom spaces. I am beyond excited for this idea of truly student-driven read-alouds that take up children’s mathematical curiosities to be the talk of upcoming PLC, hallway, and Twitter conversations. Thank you for sharing your learning journey with us, Allison and Tony, and for supporting ours.” —Angela Chan Turrou, Co-editor of Choral Counting and Counting Collections

“Hintz and Smith have offered a way to ensure that the rigors of mathematical learning and the beauty of literature are attained without sacrificing either. The emphasis on children’s thinking, voice, and mathematical wonderings bring literature alive in ways that hold a space for children to learn about themselves and the world. In doing so, they embody the true nature of elementary education at its interdisciplinary best.” —Nancy Frey, San Diego State University

“I love the idea of supporting kids' innate sense of joy and wonder to encourage seeing their world through a math lens. Throughout my life, I never considered myself a ‘curious mathematician,’ and instead felt quite disconnected, and frankly inadequate, when it came to all-things-involving-math. But ‘mathematizing’ literature would have been just the thing to pull me in as a kid. Thanks to Allison and Tony, I have a new way of looking at books! I can't wait to use these new skills, and ways of thinking, to encourage the little readers and mathematicians in my life!” —Gaia Cornwall, Author and Illustrator of the Charlotte Zolotow Honoree and Amazon Best Children’s Book of the Year, Jabari Jumps

"At its core, this book focuses on the belief that listening to a child’s thinking is some of the most important work we do as educators. This book will undoubtedly become a must-have for all primary educators." —Zak Champagne, Lead teacher, The Discovery School, Jacksonville Beach, FL

“Grounded in curiosity and wonder, Allison and Antony share ways teachers can engage their students in conversations about texts before, during, and after reading that develop math identities while also bringing literature and math together. The templates included for planning an interactive read aloud are practical and provide multiple opportunities to invite mathematicians to notice, wonder about, and explore beautifully written text." —Whitney La Rocca, Co-author of Patterns of Wonder and Patterns of Power

“Wow! I wish every teacher preparation program provided preservice elementary school teachers with a copy of Mathematizing Children’s Literature. It will inspire everyone to look at math and children’s literature in a new way.” —John Schu, Author of The Gift of Story

"This book will be a valuable and timeless resource for any teacher that believes that the power of children's curiosity, imagination, and identity is rooted in the magical intersection of their literature and mathematics.” —Sunil Singh, Author of Pi of Life, Math Recess, and Chasing Rabbits

“Joy, wonder, and playfulness exude through the examples of children’s mathematical thinking about lovely children’s literature selections throughout this book." —Janice Novakowski, District Teacher Consultant & Adjunct Professor