Picture books with level 1 number content

The Ministry is migrating nzmaths content to Tāhurangi.           
Relevant and up-to-date teaching resources are being moved to Tāhūrangi (tahurangi.education.govt.nz). 
When all identified resources have been successfully moved, this website will close. We expect this to be in June 2024. 
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For more information visit https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/updates-to-nzmaths

Level 1 number

Friends you can count on, by Debbie TipunaBy a New Zealand author.

Publisher: Raupo Publishing (NZ) Ltd      ISBN: 1869485386
This book may no longer be available for purchase.
Activity based on this book.
Description A counting book featuring New Zealand animals.
Mathematics
Numbers to 10.

Pete the Cat and his four groovy buttons, by Eric Litwin

Publisher: Harper     ISBN: 9780062110589
Activity based on this book.
Description Pete the cat loses this buttons… or does he? Includes a very catchy song keeping track as the buttons pop off.
Mathematics Subtraction to 5.

Minnie's diner: A multiplying menu, by Dayle Ann Dodds

Publisher: Candlewick (2004)     ISBN: 9780763633134
Activity based on this book.
Description
Through the repeated refrain of “Make it a double!” a family of brothers reveals the power of multiplication as they order from the menu at Minnie’s Diner.
Mathematics Doubles.

Equal shmequal, by Virginia Kroll

Publisher: Charlesbridge     ISBN: 1570918929
Description A mouse explores what it means to be equal using the concept of balance.
Mathematics Meanings of equals.

100 things, by Masayuki Sebe

Publisher: Gecko Press     ISBN: 9781877467820

This book may no longer be available for purchase.

Activity based on this book.
Description A series of large double page spreads depicting sets of 100 in different arrangements including groups of 5, 10, 20, arrays and lines.
Mathematics Groupings within a 100.

Each Orange Had 8 Slices: A Counting Book, by Paul Giganti, Jr.

Publisher: William Morrow      ISBN: 068813985X
Description A collection of maths puzzles which children can explore using counting, addition or multiplication.
Mathematics
Counting/Multiplicative thinking.

The very hungry caterpillar, by Eric Carle

Publisher: Puffin Books     ISBN: 0140569324
Description
Tells the story of a caterpillar's week, as it eats its way through various food, forms a cocoon and then turns into a butterfly.
Mathematics
Counting sequence to five.
Days of the week.

Ten apples up on top!, by Dr Seuss

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books      ISBN: 9780679892472
Description A dog, a tiger, and a lion, compete to see how many apples they can balance on their heads.
Mathematics
Numbers to 10.

How many kisses good night, by Jean Monrad Thomas

Publisher: Random House     ISBN: 067988226X
This book may no longer be available for purchase.
Description
In her bedtime routine the little girl asks “how many?”. Her questions will engage the reader.
Mathematics Number quantity.

How many kisses do you want tonight?, by Varsha Bajaj

Publisher: Koala Books     ISBN: 9780316067355
Description
The question “how many kisses do you want tonight?” is asked and answered by young animals and children.
Mathematics Numbers to 10.

One bear lost, by Karen Hayles and Jenny Jones

Publisher: Parragon Books     ISBN: 9781407591421
Description
Ten bears leave the group one at a time, until one is left on his own.
Mathematics Backwards number sequence from 10.

Bears on wheels, by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Publisher: Random House     ISBN: 9780385391368
This book may no longer be available for purchase.
Description
An adventure with bears stacking in different combinations as they ride bikes.
Mathematics Combinations of numbers to 10.

My Māori numbers, by Tracy DuncanBy a New Zealand author.

Publisher: Reed Publishing      ISBN: 9781869488390
This book may no longer be available for purchase.
Description NZ creatures, plants and children are used as contexts for matching terms to 10 using both Te Reo and English.
Mathematics Number identification.

Give me half!, by Stuart J. Murphy

Publisher: HarperCollins     ISBN: 9780064467018
Description Two children learn how to share one or two food items between them fairly.
Mathematics Halving, including fraction notation.

The most amazing hide-and-seek numbers book, by Robert Crowther

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd     ISBN: 9780763650292

This book may no longer be available for purchase.

Description A flaps and flags book that reveals groups of creatures to 100.
Mathematics Numbers to 100.

Little Quack's Hide and Seek, by Lauren Thompson

Publisher: Pocket Books      ISBN: 9781416903253
Description Five little ducks play hide and seek from their Mother. One at a time they hide linking in subtraction.
Mathematics
Subtraction.

Next Please, by Ernst Jandl and Norman Junge

Publisher: Red Fox      ISBN: 0099439336
This book may no longer be available for purchase.
Description The line up of toys wait their turns to visit the doctor.
Mathematics
Ordering, subtraction to 5.

Nigel's Numberless World, by Lucy Coats

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley (2000)      ISBN: 0751372285
This book may no longer be available for purchase.
Description What would happen if you wished all the numbers in the world away? Nigel does and spends his birthday finding out about the chaos he has created and how numbers help him make sense of his world after all.
Mathematics
Number sense.

123 with Millvy - Numbers in English

Publisher: InnovoNZ Limited      ISBN: 978-0473-54030-2
123 with Millvy
Description Follow Millvy as he gathers friends and food for a big New Year’s Day beach party, counting along the way.
Mathematics
Numbers to 10 and counting.