I try to find opportunities to introduce famous artwork to my two children. While looking for books to reinforce maths concepts, I came across Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving by Greg Tang.
Perfect! A math book AND an introduction to art history 
Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem Solving
Math-terpieces is part of a series written to teach children creative maths problem-solving skills. In this book targeted at 4-8 year olds, 12 famous works of art are used to teach children addition using groups. The masterpieces featured include work from various different art styles – including impressionism (Monet), pointillism(Seurat), fauvism (Matisse), cubism (Pablo Picasso), abstraction (Mondrian), surrealism (Dali) and pop art (Warhol).
An example with Henri Matisse’s The Goldfish is shown below. On the left, the artwork is shown together with a short poem to highlight the key element from this painting. Here, the reader is tasked to find 6 different ways to group the fishes in groups of nine.
Such vivid colours pure and bright -
to some it was a shocking sight!
For this they dubbed Henri Matisse
a fauve, which means a “wild beast”.
Please group the FISH to make a 9,
SIX smart ways would be just fine!
At the end of the book, the strategy to solve the mathematical problem is discussed, and solutions are given. There is also a short introduction to the various art styles found in the book.
C found this book to be a welcome break from her usual math worksheets, and was even inspired by the art (she requested to do some paintings!). I found the book a refreshing change from the boring conventional maths books, and have bought more from the same series
How do you teach maths?
You always have such interesting books to recommend. This one is really cute!
Glad you like it! I love books so I usually look out for those that will spark the same interest in my children
Hi! I have nominated you for the Beautiful Mama Blog Award! To find out more, and to accept the nomination, please go to: http://atlantamomofthree.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/beautiful-mama-blog-award/ Have a great day!
Wonderful suggestions! I’m always on the outlook for unique and creative titles. I already have one, Press Here, and think it’s one of the most ingenious picture books I’ve seen in a while. (I wish I had read this post for completing my book orders, the last of which I’m submitting today. There’s always next time!)) Thank you for liking and commenting on my post, “The Top Ten Picture Books of the Century (So Far), Part One.”
I’m glad you liked the books
I enjoyed your reviews, and look forward to more recommendations to add to my book list.