[I apologize for the ITALICS throughout this entire post! I couldn't get rid of it!]

Wanna make a book with your child? A book they can read, color, even stick in their book shelf? Yes? Well then, meet best friends, LION and MOUSE, two lovable (even adorable!) and humorous characters who will help win the hearts of your kids as they learn basic math concepts! Nancy Sanders and I had so much fun as we created this book together.

In this book, students read stories in which Lion and Mouse use math in EVERYDAY situations, such as counting seashells at the beach or baking cookies. This reinforces the idea to young children that we are living in a math oriented world---but math doesn't need to be scary. It WAS scary for me as a young child. I had great difficulty with the subject. I only wish I'd had a book like this when I was in grades K-2. I've had a tough time with math all of my life. I know I'm not alone. Understanding how math is incorporated into daily life is a KEY CONCEPT of developmental learning for primary-age children.

Predictable language and repetition will help young readers gain confidence practicing their reading skills, while strengthening their math skills as the eagerly join Lion and Mouse’s math-driven adventures!

Children will measure the size of Lion and Mouse’s friends, watch the clock while cooking Tick-Tock Soup, and add the number of falling leaves. The last page of each mini-book is a related activity page that reinforces the story’s key math concept. Students will take pride in their ability to complete the activity of the mini-book that they have just finished reading.

Here's more fun---an extension activity is included to further reinforce the concepts in each mini-book. Children learn a rhyme about disappearing crickets as they count backwards from 5. They learn about shapes while cutting out birdhouses for a bulletin board display. They count to 100 while sharing small surprises from home.

Nancy Sanders and I hope these funny math mini-books will make your students fall in love with Lion and Mouse, and cause them to giggle while sparking their interest in math!

Titles include: Mouse Has Hiccups!, Camping Fractions, Five Loud Crickets, Subtraction Cookies, & Let’s Go to the Store!

These mini-books and their corresponding activities correlate with the NCTM Standards.