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Looking for place value picture books?
Understanding place value is a fundamental math skill, and a great way to reinforce it is through picture books. They bring numbers to life and help young students grasp how digits work together to create larger numbers.
As a 3rd grade teacher, I know how important it is to find resources that make abstract concepts like place value relatable and enjoyable for kids.
These picture books are fantastic tools to support your students’ understanding of place value, whether they’re just getting started or need a little extra practice.
In Sir Cumference and All the King’s Tens, Sir Cumference and Lady Di are getting ready for a big party at the castle. As more guests arrive, they quickly realize they need to organize everyone fast. With some clever counting tricks, Sir Cumference groups everyone into tens, hundreds, and thousands to keep things in order. It’s a fun way to learn about place value while enjoying a lively castle celebration!
Sir Cumference and All the King’s Tens is a fantastic book for teaching place value in 3rd grade. The story is fun and engaging, and it makes grouping into tens, hundreds, and thousands really relatable for kids. It’s a great way to introduce or reinforce place value concepts in a way that’s easy to understand.
Suggested Use in a Math Lesson:
After reading the story, have students practice grouping objects or counters into tens, hundreds, and thousands just like Sir Cumference does. You could even make it a game where they “organize the kingdom” by counting different groups, which can help solidify their understanding of place value in a hands-on way.
Check it out HERE.
Zero the Hero by Joan Holub is the story of Zero, a number who feels left out because he doesn’t seem as useful as the other numbers. But when trouble arises, Zero steps in and shows that he’s more powerful than anyone thought, proving that every number—even zero—has an important role to play. This story brings math concepts to life with a fun and uplifting tale about the value of zero.
Zero the Hero is perfect for helping 3rd graders understand the unique role of zero in math. The book is entertaining, with lots of humor and colorful illustrations that keep kids engaged. It’s a great way to show why zero is so important, especially as a placeholder in place value and multiplication.
Suggested Use in a Math Lesson: After reading the story, you can have students practice using zero in different math problems, like adding, subtracting, and multiplying. Try an activity where students work with place value charts to see how zeros hold value in numbers like 105 or 1,000. This helps them see how zero can change the value of a number and why it’s essential in math.
Check it out HERE.
Place Value by David Adler explains the concept of place value through a playful and relatable story about a group of kids organizing a huge fair. As they count tickets and prizes, they learn how to group items into ones, tens, hundreds, and beyond. The book uses bright illustrations and clear examples to help kids understand the power of place value in organizing big numbers.
Place Value is a fantastic resource for introducing place value to 3rd graders. David Adler breaks down the concept in a simple, visual way that kids can grasp quickly. The fair setting adds a fun twist, making it easy to connect math concepts to real-life situations. It’s especially useful for visual learners who benefit from seeing numbers represented in different groupings.
After reading the book, set up a “ticket fair” in the classroom where students can practice grouping tickets or other items into ones, tens, and hundreds. You could also give them place value charts and let them practice writing numbers, reinforcing the idea of how each digit’s place impacts the number’s value. This activity makes place value tangible and fun!
Check it out HERE.
Looking for resources to teach place value? I got you covered with resources that you will LOVE using in your elementary classroom!
I hope this list of picture books helps make teaching place value a little easier and a lot more engaging. Helping students understand place value can seem challenging, but with the right resources, we can make this essential math concept stick in a fun and meaningful way.
If you have any favorite books or activities for teaching place value, I’d love to hear about them in the comments! Let’s keep supporting each other through the ups and downs of teaching – we’ve got this!
You will LOVE this Halloween digital mystery picture!
It is a digital color-by-number for students to practice multiplication facts!
(You can also learn more about this digital mystery pictures in my blog post here).
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Hey there, I’m Kelly! I I love helping teachers save time with technology and resources so they have more hours in the day to spend with family and friends. Take a look around to find new ideas that you can implement in your classroom today!
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