A real-world maths book based on the popular song by Tom Lehrer about the maths children use every day when they count, play, share, bake, do sport or move to music.
**Shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards 2024 - Children's Book of the Year: STEM Book**
**Shortlisted for the School Library Association's Information Book Award 2024**
**Books for Topics Recommended Reads: 50 Best Books for Year 1**
**Chalkdust Readers' Choice 2023**
"In the footsteps of Tom Lehrer, Chris Smith shows that you are never too young to have fun with Maths." - Johnny Ball, TV presenter and lifelong Maths lover
We are surrounded by and engaging with maths every day without even realising it and this vibrant and totally fun picture book aimed at 5- to 8-year-olds brings that to life and proves that maths is useful, interesting, fun and EVERYWHERE!
• Introduces real-world maths in a fun and practical way
• Each spread introduces a simple new concept in a setting your child will recognise
• Full of fun with lots to spot and talk about on every page
• Includes notes for parents and carers, a glossary and link to free online worksheets
• Includes the original words of Tom Lehrer’s rhyming song
Counting sheep when you’re trying to sleep.
Being fair when there’s something to share.
Being neat when you’re folding a sheet.
That’s Mathematics!
Young children will love to look at the fun details in Elīna Brasliņa's colourful illustrations, picking up an understanding of real-world maths and some early language. Older children are challenged by Try This and Explore This with activities written by Chris Smith, a maths teacher, musician and all-round maths enthusiast.
“The world would be a better place if Chris Smith was everyone’s maths teacher!” – Bobby Seagull, teacher, broadcaster and author
Brilliant for early years, home learning, and a useful and fun book to support the primary maths curriculum KS1.
Look out for the companion book That’s Mathematics Activity Book - 48 pages of fun, engaging, real-world maths-related activities in full colour for children 7 to 9 years old.
Printed on FSC paper from sustainable forests.
Tom Lehrer is an American satirist, singer-songwriter, musician and mathematician, most famous for his humorous songs from the 1950s and 60s. He began writing and performing his songs at Harvard University where he studied mathematics from the age of 15. After multiple albums, he largely gave up performing and began to teach mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, moving to the University of California in the 1970s. In 2020, at the age of 92, Lehrer donated all the lyrics and music written by him to the public domain.
Former Scottish Teacher of the Year, Chris Smith teaches, tweets, dreams and sings songs about maths. In 2020, Chris and a team of famous UK mathematical YouTubers created a video performing this song, which was the inspiration for the book. Chris hopes it will inspire a generation of mini mathematicians.
Elīna Brasliņa has illustrated over 25 children’s and YA books by authors from her home country of Latvia. Her board books by Lawrence Schimel depicting LGBTQ families have been published in 21 languages. She is also a production designer for animated films and makes feminist art in her spare time.
