01Seven Little DucklingsA counting picture book in which a mother duck searches for her seven missing ducklings and unwittingly gathers several other young animals along the way.Ages 02–04ATOS 2.2AR interest LG K-3Book detailsMathical Book Prize · 2026
Mathical Book Prize 2026
Annual mathematics-focused Winner, Honor, and related source-defined states across grade bands.
2026 Mathical Book Prize Winners and Honor BooksOriginal source
Titles shown24
Audience sectionsAges 02–04 · Ages 05–07 · Ages 08–10 · Ages 11–13
Titles are shown in the same order as their source section. The sequence is not a ranking.
Source section
Ages 02–04
7 titles · source order
01Seven Little DucklingsA counting picture book in which a mother duck searches for her seven missing ducklings and unwittingly gathers several other young animals along the way.Ages 02–04ATOS 2.2AR interest LG K-3Book details
0210 CatsA playful picture book about ten kittens whose games with buckets of paint turn them and their sleeping mother into colorful works of art.Ages 02–04Word count 33Book details
03Hello Hello NumbersA concept board book that introduces counting through a parade of wild animals and includes a key identifying each species and its conservation status.Ages 02–04Book details
04pêyak little duckA bilingual Plains Cree and English counting book in which a young child walks through nature, spots birds, and counts from one to ten.Ages 02–04Lexile AD360LBook details
05LookA lyrical picture book that encourages children to look closely at the natural world and notice the patterns and details around them.Ages 02–04Fountas & Pinnell KBook details
06Six Little SticksA seek-and-find counting story in which a mother stick bug repeatedly loses track of her six well-camouflaged young while teaching them how to hide.Ages 02–04Lexile AD400LFountas & Pinnell LBook details
07Ten Ways to Hear SnowLina listens for ten different sounds during a snowy walk to her grandmother’s home, where they prepare a family recipe together.Ages 02–04Lexile AD520LATOS 2.5Book detailsSource section
Ages 05–07
8 titles · source order
01365: How to Count a YearA concept picture book that explores different numerical ways to break down and count the days, weeks, months, and moments in a year.Ages 05–07Book details
02How Did You Count?A photographic picture book designed to spark conversation about the different mathematical structures and strategies people can use to count.Ages 05–07Book details
03One Million TreesAn autobiographical picture book about the author’s childhood trip to British Columbia, where her family joined a crew planting one million trees.Ages 05–07ATOS 3.0AR interest LG K-3Book details
04Over in the MangrovesA counting story inspired by a nursery rhyme that follows animals in the Sundarbans mangrove forest from dawn until a storm sends them to shelter.Ages 05–07ATOS 4.1Fountas & Pinnell OBook details
05Sam SortsSam tries to organize one hundred belongings and discovers that many objects fit into more than one category.Ages 05–07ATOS 1.7AR interest LG K-3Book details
06Toes, Teeth, and TentaclesA nonfiction counting book that uses unusual animal features, from ears and hearts to teeth and eyes, to explore numbers in nature.Ages 05–07Book details
07Wanda Hears the StarsA picture book biography of astrophysicist Wanda Díaz Merced, who uses sonification to study astronomical data after losing her sight.Ages 05–07Lexile 540LATOS 3.6Book details
08Way Past EmbarrassedWhen Juan struggles with a math worksheet and feels embarrassed in class, he learns that asking for help can encourage others to do the same.Ages 05–07Book detailsSource section
Ages 08–10
5 titles · source order
01The Five Sides of Marjorie RiceA picture book biography of Marjorie Rice, an amateur mathematician who discovered previously unknown pentagons that can tile a plane.Ages 08–10Book details
029 KilometersA Chilean boy walks nine kilometers through mountains and rain forest each morning to reach school, reflecting on the distance as he travels.Ages 08–10ATOS 3.1AR interest LG K-3Book details
03Mr. Pei’s Perfect ShapesA picture book biography of architect I. M. Pei that traces his childhood fascination with buildings and his later use of modern geometric forms.Ages 08–10Book details
04Who Was Katherine Johnson?An illustrated biography of mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose hand calculations supported major NASA missions including Apollo 11.Ages 08–10ATOS 6.5AR interest MG 4-8Book details
05Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn’tA nonfiction picture book that traces the development of zero and explains why the number became essential to mathematics.Ages 08–10ATOS 5.0AR interest LG K-3Book detailsSource section
Ages 11–13
4 titles · source order
01ImposterHigh school student Cam confronts gender bias while trying to prove her engineering and coding skills in computer science class and on a RoboSub team.Ages 11–13Lexile 610LFountas & Pinnell Z+Book details
02Adventures in MathA nonfiction guide that challenges common myths about mathematical ability and uses practical advice and real-life stories to build a growth mindset.Ages 11–13Lexile 880LBook details
03BenBee and the Teacher GrieferFour summer-school classmates make a reading-for-game-time bargain with their teacher, then work together to defend her unconventional approach.Ages 11–13ATOS 4.7Fountas & Pinnell QBook details
04The Best at ItSeventh grader Rahul tries to find one thing he can be best at while navigating anxiety, bullying, friendship, and his developing identity.Ages 11–13Lexile HL620LATOS 4Book details