The Rabbit Problem

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett, Simon and Schuster Books, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4424-1255-2
from the Simon and Schuester website: "In Gravett's gifted hands, an old math problem springs to life--and more life and more life! Medieval mathematician Fibonacci's "rabbit problem," in which bunnies breed at a specified rate, provides the structure of this glorious faux--wall calendar that watches a rabbit community from January to December...Readers needn't care about the math of Fibonacci Numbers to love the hilarious, jam-packed visual details, many of which are playfully metatextual...Endless fun to pore over for kids and math-minded or geeky adults.
-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
(Publisher's Weekly also gave this book a starred review).
Personally, I think they made up the word "metatextual". However, it might be a good word to describe this book: opened up, it looks like a wall calendar, but then it has other things attached to the calendar (one month a newspaper, another month a cookbook, then a thermometer, a birth announcement, etc).
While this would be a book a child might pore over for hours, it probably wouldn't make a good read-aloud. The format of the book is very clever and innovative, but involves too much on one page for a whole group of children to look at.
And it is a wonderful way to look at a math problem (Fibonacci's number sequence) by sneaking it into a book about rabbits!

A Very Improbable Story

A Very Improbable Story: a math adventure by Edward Einhorn, illustrated by Adam Gustavson, Charlesbridge, 2008, ISBN 978-1-57091-871-1
PS: Waking up one morning and finding a talking cat on his head, Ethan is informed that the cat will not leave until he has won a game of probability.
"How likely is it that something will happen?" The cat leads Ethan on to several games, involving coins, socks, and marbles, which would be fun and easy to recreate in a classroom setting. Some kid is bound to ask: who cares? The author answers this at the end of the book, when Ethan figures out what kind of soccer kick to make in attempting to score a goal! (The books doesn't tell us whether Ethan wins his soccer game or not!) By the way, the theory of mathematical probability was developed in 1654 by two French mathematicians, Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat.
Charlesbridge Publishing company has several books connecting math and literature. See them here, along with other interesting books from Charlesbridge.

Blockhead (***** 5 Stars!)

Blockhead: the life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese, illustrated by John O'Brien, Henry Holt and Co., 2010, ISBN 978-0-8050-6305-9
From the book jacket: "As a young boy in medieval Itlay, Leonardo Fibonacci thought about numbers day and night. He was such a daydreamer that people called him blockhead. When he grew up and traveled the world, he was inspired by the numbers used in different countries, especially the Hindu-Arabic numerals he learned about in Africa. Then he realized that many things in nature seem to follow a certain pattern. the boy who was once teased for being a blockhead had discovered what came to be known as the Fibonacci Sequence! Today he is famous for his simple word problem about multiplying rabbits and is now considered one of the greatest Western mathematicians of all time."
This is an absolutely fascinating book, if only in the fact that something that seems so complicated can be so SIMPLE! And to think that Nature follows a pattern!!! I cannot wait to share this with my 4th graders. I have looked into the subject further and found some books that will compliment the study. These will be posted as soon as I get my hands on them!!
It doesn't surprise me that this book has its own website and its own Facebook page! The possibilities introduced by this man and his idea are endless! So exciting!

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Schwartz and Wade Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-375-84014-2
PS: Charlie, the smallest child in his first grade class, is amazed to discover that of the three pumpkins his teacher brings to school, the smallest one has the most seeds.
Wait for Fall, grab 3 different-sized pumpkins, and let the math begin! Great for first graders, who are just beginning to count in different ways (by 2's, by 5's, by 10's). The story is entertaining enough, and the suspense (who can wait to see which pumpkin has the most seeds!) will keep students interested while they count away.
You may or may not want to actually clean out the pumpkins and count the seeds, as the teacher does in the book...
But don't let the other lesson slip by: Don't judge by appearances.
Pumpkin facts in the back will add to the learning experience. (Did you know that pumpkin is a fruit, not a vegetable?!)

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni, Harper Collins, 1960, ISBN 0-688-13283-9
Caldecott Honor
Publisher's Summary: To keep from being eaten, an inchworm measures a robin's tail, a flamingo's neck, a toucan's beak, a heron's legs, and a nightingale's song.
Clever story that involves math (measuring).