When I decided to update my Vocabulary Units, I knew I wanted to include some interactive read-alouds. It is so important to read high quality, engaging texts to all students - English Language Learners are no exception. I was looking for books that would interest students, provide opportunities for discussions, and included rich vocabulary. I also wanted books that weren't too long so that primary level students would attend throughout the story. While I read and loved many numbers themed books - these five were my final choices.
Is 2 a Lot? by Annie Watson, illustrated by Rebecca Evans
This book is a fascinating adventure into numbers. It starts simply enough with Joey and his mom going for a car ride. Joey innocently asks, “Is two a lot? Suddenly, a mundane road trip turns into a wild ride complete with cowboys, dinosaurs, and even the Queen of England. The illustrations are bright and colorful. Some illustrations tell their own little story – like the Princess and the Knight with 3 broken bones. Is 2 a Lot? will really challenge students to think about what exactly ‘a lot’ means.
Discussion Questions
before reading This book is called Is 2 a Lot? So, what do you think? Is 2 of something a lot?
p. 3-4 Why do you think 2 pennies are not a lot of pennies? How much money is 2 pennies? What can you buy with that? Why are 2 skunks a lot? What do skunks do?
p. 9-10 How many children are on your school bus? What do you think would be different about your ride to school if there were only 4 children on the bus? Why do you think it would be hard to walk 4 dogs at once?
p. 19-20 Can you count to 100? Do you think that is a big number? Would you be able to make a snowman with 100 snowflakes? How many snowflakes do you think you would need?
p. 25-26 Why is 1,000 not a lot of grains of sand, but it is a lot of hot air balloons? Can you think of a situation where 1,000 grains of sand would be a lot?
after reading At the end Mommy decided to ask what he thinks. What conclusion did Joey come to? Is 2 a lot? What about you – have you changed your mind?
Post-Reading Activity
After reading, students can choose a number and write something that is a lot and not a lot of that number.
1-2-3 Peas by Keith Baker
The Pea series by Keith Baker is a delightful addition to any library. They make fun and engaging read-alouds. 1-2-3 Peas is no different. The text has a subtle rhyme and rhythm. You go through the numbers 1-10 individually with the peas rowing a boat, or dancing, or building. Then they begin counting by 10s. Each number is represented by text and numeral. Each page is brilliantly illustrated with fun details for each pea. Students will want extra time with this book just to look at the pictures.
Discussion Questions
number 4 The peas are planting some seeds. What do you see that they will need to help the seeds grow? What kind of plants do you think peas would grow?
number 9 The nine peas are dancing. Do you know what this style of dance is called? Do you know any other styles of dancing?
number 30 All the peas are honking their horns. When you are driving in a car – when do you honk the horn? Do you think the horns on the bicycles would sound different from the horns on the big trucks? How?
number 50 The peas are working together to finish the puzzle. What is something you need teamwork to complete?
number 80 The peas are all having fun at a show. What are they laughing about?
number 100 Each pea is holding a number. Can you find the number ___? (invite students up to find a number of your choosing)
Post-Reading Activity
After reading, students can choose a number and create a poster for that number.
Click, Clack, Splish, Splash by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
This is a simple counting book with a fun surprise! Students will recognize the characters from other favorites like Duck for President and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Farmer Brown decides to take a nap one day, and Duck and his farm friends make their move. We don’t know what they’re up to until the very end of the story. The simple counting to ten and then back down is perfect for little learners.
Discussion Questions
before reading This book is called Click, Clack, Splish, Splash. There are other books with these characters. Do you know any of them? What happened in those books?
number 1&2 Why do you think Duck is walking on his tip-toes? Why is he making the “shh” motion? What do you think Duck is up to?
number 6 The goats are loading things in a boat. What do you see in the boat. Where do you think they are going? What do you think they will do when they get there?
number 7 The 7 pigs are carrying buckets – How many buckets are they carrying? What do you think is in the buckets? Why do you think the sheep decided to stay home?
number 10 There are 10 buckets with 10 fish! Where did the fish come from? Where do you think they are going?
after reading How does Farmer Brown feel when he realizes what happened? How do you think the fish are feeling in their new home?
Post-Reading Activity
After reading, students can describe the different roles of each character.
One Is a Snail, Ten is a Crab by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre, illustrated by Randy Cecil
Join a snail on the beach and count some feet! This fun book counts from one to ten then by tens until one hundred. Students may notice that in order to have an odd number of feet the snail must join in. The illustrations are simple, but so much fun to look at – especially the facial expressions of the snail. This would be a fun book to talk about even and odd numbers as well as skip counting.
Discussion Questions
before reading How many feet do you have? Can you think of something that has 4 feet? 6? 8? 10? What about 1 foot?
number 1 Snail is going to the beach! What kinds of things do you like to do at the beach? Do you think snail will like doing those things? Why or why not?
number 3 The authors of this book needed to add a person and a snail to make 3. Can you think of any creatures with 3 feet?
number 7&8 The spider has 8 legs. Is a spider an insect? How many legs does an insect have?
number 9 How is snail feeling? How can you tell? Why do you think snail is feeling that way?
number 100 The books says that 100 is 10 crabs. Let’s count by 100 by 10s. Was that faster or slower than counting to 100 by 1s?
Post-Reading Activity
After reading, students can add stickers to a beach scene then write about the number of feet.
On the Launch Pad by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Derrick Alderman and Denise Shea
Rockets and astronauts are always fascinating to young kids. This book is no exception. Starting with 12 the book counts down to a rocket’s take off. It is a simple concept with some surprisingly sophisticated ideas. The book talks about the engineers, the radar dishes, and fuel trucks. On each page there is a hidden numeral. Kids will love finding it! On the last page the publisher has provided some fun facts about space exploration, and a list of other books in the series.
Discussion Questions
number 11 What are some of the tasks that the workers are completing? Why do you think those jobs are important?
number 10 An engineer is someone who works with machines – in this case the rocket. They want to make sure the rocket works correctly. Would you like to be an engineer?
number 8 Why does the rocket need fuel? What else do you know that runs on fuel? Which needs more fuel – the rocket or a car on the road?
number 7 A radar dish allows us to communicate with something in space. Right now, these radar dishes are silent because the rocket is not in space. If you went to space – what message would you want to send back?
number 6 How do you think these astronauts are feeling? How would you feel if you were going to space in a rocket
number 1 The rocket has lifted off the ground and is headed for the stars. What else is out in space for the astronauts to explore?
Post-Reading Activity
Students color their rocket according to the glyph and compare it with a classmate.
If you are looking for these discussion questions and activities ready-to-print and use please check them out in either my Numbers Vocabulary Unit or my Numbers Read-Alouds resource in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
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If you chose to read any of these books with your students I'd love to hear about it! You can e-mail me at TeachingEternity@gmail.com, or connect with me on Instagram, @TeachingEternity.
