There’s geometry in sounds, there are shapes in drawings, and there are measurements in movements.
The most exciting elements, from nature to technology, have math applications integrated into them. When these concepts and applications are imprinted in books and gifted to children, it makes learning smarter, creative, and imaginative. But where do we stand when there’s a 60:1 ratio of students and a teacher who has to get everyone interested in maths? How do you spark their interest? If, along with ‘Math is fun’ your child adds ‘Said none ever,’ you’re probably a bit wary of their analytical skills developing. Maths is as interesting as a teacher makes it if you place the right tools at your child’s disposal.
We’ve scoured through a list of math books that will make your children wonder how Y x Y turns Y2.
These 4 books are a must-read to pique their interest in mathematics.
The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lover Mathematics by Norton Juster
An old but gold math story that the author beautifully explains. The book makes understanding the art of transformation easier. It goes … A line fell in love with a dot but the dot had only eyes on a squiggle. The line met an angel, and with its newfound form of self-expression, it knew it could be anything it wanted, a square, a triangle, a trapezium.
A Hundred Billion Trillian Stars by Seth Fishman and Illustrator Isabel Greenberg
For kids who grow up developing a certain discomfort around the subject, it is vital to offer them the tool of illustrative math. The maths in this book is simple and neatly explained. The STEM content is broken down in a child-friendly approach. For example, it breaks down difficult numbers like a hundred billion trillion stars in the universe to 37 billion rabbits on earth.
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne
The best way to teach something is to teach them how the greatest invention that seems rather basic in the 21st century was discovered and who did it. The book is about Albert Einstein, his theories, views, and wisdom that grapples your attention and makes you wonder how the power of imagination can change the world. It influences children to be keen on learning the how’s, when’s, and why’s of everything around them.
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife
This one’s an archive for a life-long learner. For teens and tweens who are hyper-curious about the subject, this book comes as a contributor to the pool of knowledge and also as a cupid itself to make anyone fall in love with Mathematics. The book is about the number Zero, as we call ‘Shunya’ – the beginning and end of everything in the universe.
Maths is astounding, simple, complex, and holds the potential to develop great life skills. And books are great learning resources that grab their interest in the subject and become a Kickstarter to achieving those life skills.