Mathical Prize WinnerOne Fox: A Counting Book ThrillerKate Read, illustrated by Kate ReadOne hungry fox moves through a farmyard at night as the count rises from one to ten. The fox has two sly eyes and comes upon three hens; later, ten sharp teeth heighten the tension. A turn in the action brings one hundred angry hens, who take charge of the farmyard. The brief story combines counting with a comic reversal as its events unfold.Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure NPView book detailsMathical Book Prize 2020
The 2020 edition includes 2 Mathical Hall of Fame titles, 7 Mathical Honor Books, and 4 Mathical Prize Winners. The source uses 6 audience or subject sections, including Pre-Kindergarten, Grades K through 2, Grades 3 through 5, and Grades 9 through 12. It records that year's Mathical Prize, Honor, and Hall of Fame results across the program's grade groups.
2020 Mathical Book Prize Winners and Honor BooksSee the original list
Selections13
Published byMathical Book Prize
Sections6 sections
Browse sections6 sections
Pre-Kindergarten
4 selections
Mathical Prize WinnerOne Fox: A Counting Book ThrillerKate Read, illustrated by Kate ReadOne hungry fox moves through a farmyard at night as the count rises from one to ten. The fox has two sly eyes and comes upon three hens; later, ten sharp teeth heighten the tension. A turn in the action brings one hundred angry hens, who take charge of the farmyard. The brief story combines counting with a comic reversal as its events unfold.Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure NPView book details
Mathical Honor BookRoundJoyce Sidman, illustrated by Taeeun YooDuring a day spent with her family, a little girl looks for round forms in the natural world. She notices objects that bud, hatch, ripen, and spin, then considers why this shape appeals to her. This nonfiction picture book centers on circular forms in nature and on one child's observations.Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure AD490LATOS Book Level 3.3View book details
Mathical Honor BookOne Happy TigerCatherine Rayner, illustrated by Catherine RaynerA tiger begins alone and unhappy, then encounters companions in increasing groups. Two bright bugs and three colorful birds are among the animals he meets as the counting continues through ten. Each new encounter changes his solitary day into one shared with friends and adventures. By the end, the tiger's sadness has lifted. The story follows his growing circle while introducing the numbers from one through ten.Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure NPView book details
Mathical Honor BookAnimal ShapesChristopher Silas Neal, illustrated by Christopher Silas NealAnimals and geometric forms meet in a guessing-game picture book. Each turn combines them into an invented creature, inviting readers to consider what animal-like creation might appear next. The book centers on repeated guessing and play as its animal-and-shape combinations lead from one new creation to another in sequence.Pre-KindergartenView book detailsGrades K–2
3 selections
Mathical Prize WinnerPigeon MathAsia Citro, illustrated by Richard WatsonA narrator tries to tell a story about pigeons, but the number of birds keeps changing. To keep track of the shifting flock, the narrator relies on math facts. The account repeatedly returns to unstable quantities, with pigeons serving as the things being counted. Each change in the flock alters what must be counted and the math the narrator needs to use.Grades K–2Lexile Text Measure 460LATOS Book Level 3.1View book details
Mathical Honor BookIs 2 a Lot?: An Adventure with NumbersAnnie Watson, illustrated by Rebecca EvansDuring an ordinary car ride, Joey asks questions about numbers and his mother answers them. Their exchange explores how a number can seem large or small depending on what it is counting. The conversation takes Joey into a world of numbers, where the meaning of a quantity changes with its context. Joey and his mother consider numbers together throughout the journey.Grades K–2Lexile Text Measure 520LView book details
Mathical Honor BookCount on MeMiguel Tanco, illustrated by Miguel TancoCount on Me follows a girl who notices mathematical forms in ordinary surroundings. Circles, curved lines, patterns, and geometry become things she recognizes in the world she sees each day. Her attention rests on the beauty she finds through math, including patterns that other people may overlook in everyday life.Grades K–2View book detailsGrades 3–5
2 selections
Mathical Prize WinnerSolving for MJennifer SwenderMika turns to a math journal while navigating fifth grade and a challenging change at home. The journal becomes a way to work through school concerns and family problems as she tries to make sense of what is happening in both parts of her life. Her unusual journal connects the difficulties she faces at school with the problems affecting her family.Grades 3–5Lexile Text Measure 730LATOS Book Level 4.7View book details
Mathical Honor BookDK Life Stories: Katherine JohnsonEbony Joy Wilkins, illustrated by Charlotte AgerThis biography follows Katherine Johnson from her childhood in West Virginia through her work as a teacher and her later career at NASA. It recounts how she overcame barriers to become a mathematician whose behind-the-scenes work was connected to the United States' first moon landing. The book also covers her 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Johnson's life is presented as the path of a mathematician whose NASA work made a significant contribution to the space program.Grades 3–5Lexile Text Measure 1000LView book detailsGrades 9–12
1 selection
Grades 6–8
1 selection
Hall of Fame
2 selections
Mathical Hall of FameHippos Go Berserk!Sandra Boynton, illustrated by Sandra BoyntonHippos gather for a party that lasts through the night. As the celebration continues, additional hippos arrive, with their numbers increasing along the way. The story combines a growing group of animals with counting, following the hippos as the party becomes more and more crowded. Its central action is the arrival of the hippos and the changing number of guests at their all-night celebration.Hall of FameLexile Text Measure AD330LATOS Book Level 2.4View book details
Mathical Hall of FameOne Grain of RiceDemi, illustrated by DemiSet long ago in India, this mathematical folktale follows Rani, a village girl, and a raja who keeps nearly all of his people’s rice. Rani devises a plan built on doubling: a reward of one grain grows day by day. The increasing amount eventually reaches more than one billion grains, allowing Rani to outwit the raja who hoards the rice.Hall of FameLexile Text Measure AD890LATOS Book Level 4.6View book details