Are you teaching measurement? Have you used math picture books? I love using picture books in math to introduce a topic, or during math centers to reinforce real-life math application. You can read more about how to use math picture books in your elementary classroom HERE, including introduction lessons, math centers, literacy centers, and even writing.

Below, I highlight a few of my FAVORITE measurement picture books. Then, you will find a complete guide to measurement picture books that you can use in your classroom. All book links are Amazon Affiliate links (I get a tiny commission if you purchase a book from the link, which goes toward this blog’s site maintenance), but you can find the same books at your local book store!

Millions to Measure by David M. Schwartz

This book stars Marvellisimo the Mathematical Magician…. you know a book with a character name like that is going to be a fun read! This book explains standard units of measurement and the history of measurement. Specifically, the author zones in on length, volume, and weight. Marvellisimo takes the kids on his hot air balloon throughout time to show them the history of measurement, starting with non-standard units back in the time with cavemen, and ending with present times. It also shows students how we CAN measure with non-standard units, as long as we are using consistency and accuracy. Also – Steven Kellog illustrates the book – I love his work. Every year for character traits I read his version of Jack and the Beanstalk, the pictures are fabulous and his retelling of the classic story is spot-on (and not overly gruesome as some versions can be).

This book gives examples of units of measurement. I LOVE how it gives real-life objects as benchmarks to get kids making real-life connections. For example, the book states that one inch is the length of a postage stamp. It definitely helps get kids thinking about concrete measurement examples that they would see day-to-day. Another example of relating measurement to real-life is when the little girl is discussing her breakfast. Instead of “I drink a cup of orange juice,” the little girl states “I drink 8 ounces of orange juice.” The illustrations complement the book very well. Although colorful and fun to look at, the pictures do the most perfect job of explaining the concept at hand. The author also bolds all the measurement words, so you can integrate identifying text features while reading the story. 

Carlos brings his new pet fish Ripley home from the pet store… but he needs to have a tank the right size! Carlos uses cup, pints, quarts, and gallons to figure out how much water he needs to put in the tank. This book has a special place in my heart. One of my teammates used this book every year to teach capacity. She would read the story, do the water measurements as dictated by the book, and at the end of the lesson, my teammate would pull out a fish as a class pet! The fish’s name was ALWAYS Ripley, just like the fish in the story. Year after year, I would hear her kids excited about their new class pet, Ripley. She moved to North Carolina, but she was the most amazing teacher who cared so dang much about the students, her lessons, and their learning. Snag this book and do the fish/capacity lesson – it will be an unforgettable lesson!

Still looking for more picture book ideas? Below, I compiled a list of some of the best measurement picture books that you and your students may enjoy in your classroom! 

• Counting On Frank by Rod Clement
• How Tall, How Short, How Far Away by David Adler
• Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
• Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? by Robert E. Wells
• Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert
• Life-Size Zoo by Teruyuki Komiya
• Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy
• Super Sandcastle Saturday by Stuart Murphy
• Twelve Snails to One Lizard by Susan Hightower

• How Long or How Wide? A Measuring Guide by Brian Cleary

• Pastry School in Paris by Cindy Neuschwander
• Room for Ripley by Stuart J. Murphy

• Mighty Maddie by Stuart Murphy
• On the Scale, A Weighty Tale by Brian Cleary
• The 100 Pound Problem by Jennifer Dussling
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I have a variety of measurement resources that you may find useful in your classroom lessons along with these measurement picture books. You can find these lessons and more on Glitter in Third on TPT.