How to make the most of picturebooks through Talks and Math: Our Review #2.

Picturebooks are more than just colorful pages—they open the door to endless conversations. But how to engage young children with picturebooks? Throughout 2025, we will select five picturebooks from the library, kind of randomly, once a month (see Review #1 from last month!). Mme Rigolotte and I will give a quick overview of the plot (without spoilers : ) and what caught our attention, sharing topics you could talk about, and offering ways to engage young children with early math. Yep, math is everywhere—even in books! If you need a refresher on early mathematics, see one of our previous posts.

It will be a great way for us to discover new stories, and seek engaging talking points and mathematics opportunities in any picturebooks. Feel free to suggest titles you would like the wooden Fellows to review!

How to engage young children with My Mama is a work of art, by Hana Acabo

A Quick Overview. The story, told through the eyes of a young child, takes us on a journey into the art of tattoos, while highlighting the importance of celebrating the uniqueness in every person. This one-of-a-kind picturebook beautifully focuses on a mother with tattoos, offering a unique perspective on an art often misjudged by our society. The wooden Fellows and I loved that book. I don’t know how many picturebooks I have read in the past several years– hundreds?– and it was so refreshing to be surprised and moved by a story, and think about the smiles and comfort such book could bring, during circle time, to a child, with a close one with tattoos.

Stuff to talk about… The story naturally opens the door to discussions about people who may be perceived as “different” by societal standards. While the book centers on a mother with tattoos, the final page beautifully showcases a diverse group of individuals with various body forms, skin colors, ages, and disabilities—a powerful reminder of the richness of human diversity. Hence, the picturebook can lead to meaningful conversations about empathy, acceptance, and understanding. Finally, tattoos as a form of art invite discussions about how art can be used to express personal stories and how art can touch our hearts. What would you like to create today? Which medium would you like to use?

… including mathematics. Beyond its narrative and emotional depth, the book offers opportunities for learning in other areas, such as math! Children can explore patterns and be guided in noticing what may repeat, what may come next, etc. Young children can also track numbers from the story vs illustrations, such as the two cats in the text and the tattoos. They can also notice mathematics symbols in the tattoos, like dates or numbers representing significant moments in the mother’s life. This moving story has indeed a lot of potential to engage young children with the book.

How to engage young children with The nature girls, by Aki

Quick overview. We previously reviewed City Girls, and now the 16 girls are back in a new story—this time, they’re exploring nature! The story takes readers through various biomes like the tundra, grasslands, and desert, introducing them to wild animals and diverse landscapes along the way, embracing common topics to engage young children with. The vibrant colors, the diverse group of girls, the plot, etc. should appeal to many young children. Just find a way to make sure boyz don’t feel left out : )

Stuff to talk about… The plot invites readers to engage with not only what they can see as they go out and explore, but also what they can hear (the birds, the plane), what they can feel (tiptoeing in the ocean), etc. What other senses could you use as you explore a new area? The story also presents opportunities to talk about safety, covering topics like clothing to stay safe in warm or cold weather, things you could safely touch (or not!), climb (or not!), etc.

… including mathematics. Like City Girls, the picturebook offers a chance to keep track of the 16 little girls and ensure none are missing, throughout the story. The book also introduces a fantastic opportunity to engage young children with the concept of perspective in illustrations—how the trees seem much taller when the girls are standing right next to them, compared to the pyramids or mountains in the background. Perspective is a key concept associated with spatial sense, one of the mathematics areas young children should be exposed to.

How to engage young children with The weather girls, by Aki

A Quick Overview. Another story from the 16 girls! This time, the girls venture outside to experience the different weather conditions and wildlife each season brings. From a sunny swim to a wintery climb to the top of a mountain, what are the girls up to this time?

Stuff to talk about… The story highlights differences between seasons, providing a meaningful opportunity to discuss changes throughout the year. How do the trees look as the seasons change? When do they begin to bud? The audience can also dive into the various activities the 16 girls engage with during each season. In winter, they might build snowmen, while in summer, they may go for a swim. What is your favorite activity to do in the Fall? What is your favorite season to go on a nature walk?

… including mathematics. The change of seasons naturally connects to the passage of time, guiding children to make sense of the cycles of nature and the flow of the seasons as part of the Earth’s journey. Such guidance would align well with the Montessori approach to the concept of time, and the celebration of birthdays as a reminder of that each Earth’s orbit around the sun takes a year. In addition, the 16 Girls series has some recognizable patterns that could help children engage with the narrative structure. For example, the girls always leave the building at the start of each story. By engaging young children in noticing those recurring patterns and encourage them to predict what might happen next, we can build and strengthen their algebraic and logical thinking skills—foundational elements of math.

How to engage young children with The red book, by Lehman

A Quick Overview. This wordless story unfolds around two children: one in the city who discovers a red book with maps, and the other on an island who finds a red book with pictures of a city. Will they find each other?

Stuff to talk about… Since The Red Book is wordless, it offers a unique opportunity to “read” and engage with young children, diving into discussions with children and develop our own interpretations. What might the children be feeling? How are the two children connected through the red book? We can also let our imagination takes over once the story ends. What do you think may happen next? I would definitely let children take the lead on the interpretation of the story, as the book may raise more questions than it answers!

… including mathematics. The Red Book presents opportunities to engage with spatial sense and location on maps. Young children LOVES maps, and drawing their owns, providing so many information on where they are on their understanding of spatial orientation. How would you draw your house or school? Want to hide something, and make a treasure map so I can find it? Making sense of maps help children grasp spatial concepts such as distance, direction, and location. These foundational ideas lead to stronger spatial reasoning skills, essential for more advanced math concepts like geometry.

How to engage young children with I won’t give up my rubber band, by Shinsuke Yoshitake

A Quick Overview. This engaging picturebook tells the story of a little child, who finds a rubber band, and is permitted by her mom to keep it. Through a clear statement of “This is my rubber band!”, we are invited into the endless imagination of young children and the feelings associated with owning something unique. 

Stuff to talk about… the book naturally brings up discussions on the power of imagination and how a simple rubber band can open the door to infinite possibilities. What would you do if you had a rubber band? Additionally, the story provides a chance to support young children’s social-emotional development, with discussing concepts like ownership, sharing, etc.

… including mathematics. Because of the rubber band’s constant presence on each page, the book can naturally lead to a discussion around spatial sense. This time, though, the discussion would not be in connection with maps, but in finding and describing where the rubber band is, introducing spatial sense vocabulary such “next to,” “around,” “beside,” and “under” . So “Where is the rubber band now?”

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By exploring stories, sparking discussions, and connecting to math, picturebooks offer endless opportunities to engage young children’s thinking and imagination. Stay tuned for our next review, where we’ll dive into a new set of books next month. 

In the meantime, the Fellows and I would love to hear from you : ) 

How do you engage young children with picturebooks? What caught your attention in the five books we shared today? What other topics would you discuss with young children?