When it comes to introducing new mathematical concepts, such as fractions, one of my favorite strategies is to use math read alouds! There are so many great books about fractions out there that help break down this concept and keep students actively engaged. Read on for 11 of my favorite books about fractions!
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Before I dive into the books about fractions, I have to share one of my latest obsessions. I am an avid reader outside of the classroom and have a slight obsession with my Kindle e-reader. While I prefer to read a physical book, the convenience and price of an e-reader and e-books sometimes can’t be beat.
Amazon has a subscription service called Kindle Unlimited that I have been a member of for the past few years. The neat thing about it is, if you are a subscriber, you can access a ton of great books to use in the classroom with your students!
What is Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is Amazon’s monthly book subscription service. For under $10 a month, you have access to thousands of books at your fingertips. It allows you to rent up to 10 books at a time without any additional cost. There are a couple of books on my list below that can be found on Kindle Unlimited, so I will be sure to mention them to you! Here is a Kindle Unlimited trial link if you would like to try it out!
Books About Fractions
1. Give Me Half! by Stuart J. Murphy
Stuart J. Murphy is probably my absolute favorite mathematical author! He has a Math Start Series with books on nearly every mathematical concept. There are 3 levels of books inside this series.
The Level 2 books are perfect for introducing mathematical skills in 1st and 2nd grade. They can also be used as a spiral review for 3rd grade students.
This is a story about 2 kids splitting a pizza for lunch, when they realize that fractions can help them divide their pizza evenly. This is a silly story that will get your students laughing while they are introduced to beginning fractional concepts.
2. If You Were a Fraction by Trisha Shaskan
This is a fun book about fractions that shares illustrations using different real-life fractional concepts. I think it’s so important for students to see real-life examples of mathematical concepts, as it helps them understand how they will apply them in everyday life.
This story includes the line, “If you were a fraction, what would you be…?”
I think this would make a great math journal entry for students to tie in mathematical writing skills as well! They could write the sentence starter in their math notebook and write/illustrate to show their answer.
To make this book even more fun for students, it ends with a tasty pizza recipe.
3. Whole-Y Cow! Fractions Are Fun by Taryn Souders
This is a book about fractions that can be found on Kindle Unlimited. You can purchase either the print version or the digital version through Kindle Unlimited.
This is a fun book about silly cows that get into a ton of different situations throughout the story. There are fractional examples on every page along with questions that you can ask your students as you read.
A great way to keep them engaged would be to have them answer each question on a whiteboard or by sharing aloud and having a class discussion.
4. Twinderella: A Fractioned Fairy Tale by Corey Schwartz
If you are a fan of the book “The Three Ninja Pigs,” then you’re going to love this story by the same author, Corey Schwartz!
This story takes students inside a fairy tale where twin sisters are trying to split their housework evenly in half. They must use fractions to figure out how to do so.
However, a problem arises when they have to figure out how to split one prince evenly between the both of them using fractions.
This book would be great for relating the concept of fractions, not necessarily introducing fractions to kids.
5. Fractions in Disguise: A Math Adventure by Edward Einhorn
If your students are in to being detectives and solving cases, this book will be right up their alley! In the story, a valuable fraction goes missing and the main character must track it down. However, the villainous character disguises his fractions, making it harder to find.
George, the main character, must invent something special to reduce the fraction to it’s lowest common denominator in order to reveal it’s true form.
This story may be a little more advanced as it discusses common denominators and simplifying and reducing fractions. This would be a great read aloud for 3rd grade students as well!
6. Fraction Action by Loreen Leedy
This book is perfect for students in 1st-3rd grade as it follows different animal students as they explore fraction problems and answers.
The illustrations and fractional examples are super kid-friendly, giving students a great visual representation of each fraction the animals see!
7. Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta
This book about fractions offers a great cross-curricular opportunity with science and making healthy choices. Students will learn about fractions through the lens of a healthy snack, apples!
This story uses various apples to help students understand fractional parts and how to divide them into halves, thirds, fourths, and beyond! Not only will students learn about fractions, but they’ll learn more about the different varieties of apples!
You can incorporate math and science by doing an apple taste-test experiment. Students could divide different varieties of apples into fractional parts, taste-test them, and then graph which one is their favorite!
8. Fraction Fun by David A. Adler
This book about fractions encourages students to think about how they would like to experience fractions in the real world.
It asks questions such as, “Would you rather eat ¼ of a pizza or ⅛ of a pizza?” or “Would you rather find 3/4 of a dollar or 1/10 of a dollar?”
This gets students thinking deeply about the concept of fractions and uses simple illustrations to break down this sometimes confusing concept to show students that fractions can be fun!
This book does a great job of breaking down numerators and denominators into kid-friendly terms so they understand their meanings. Students will also learn how to recognize common fractions and compare them.
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9. Jump, Kangaroo, Jump by Stuart J. Murphy
Stuart J. Murphy is back with another fun fraction book. This one is a Level 3 in the Math Start Series, so it would be perfect for advanced 2nd grade students and 3rd grade students.
In the story, Kangaroo and his friends work together to divide into teams using halves, thirds, and fourths. The story follows the animal crew as they compete in various games at camp.
This book even includes activities for students and adults to do to together to incorporate math into their everyday lives.
10. The Wishing Club: A Story About Fractions by Donna Napoli
This book about fractions is the perfect blend of storytelling and mathematical discussion as it follows a group of children who each wish on a star for a specific item, but are only left receiving a fraction of what they wish for.
They must figure out how to combine their wishes to end up with a whole, happy pet. This is a great book to have a mathematical discussion around and encourage problem-solving.
11. A Fraction’s Goal ― Parts of a Whole by Brian P. Cleary
This is the other book about fractions that can be found on Kindle Unlimited! This fun book demonstrates how fractions work by showing students real-life examples of splitting whole objects into parts.
In the story, a pair of comical cats divide everything from pizza to people with catchy rhymes, silly pictures, and kid-friendly examples that break down the tough concept of fractions.
There are truly so many amazing books out there that can help you engage and excite your students as they learn about fractions.
Pair these books about fractions with fun, hands-on fraction activities like those found in my Fractions Unit for 2nd Grade, and you’ll be set for a successful math unit!
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about my 11 favorite books about fractions. To get a closer look inside a few of these books, you can check out my Fraction Books YouTube video!
For more math book recommendations on other concepts, click here!
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