Count on Me; Miguel Tanco

In a little girl’s family everyone has their passion. Dad loves painting, Mum loves insects and her brother is into playing musical instruments. School provides lots of opportunities for exploring different passions -  acting, dancing, cooking, singing, sport, music - but none of them seem quite right.

Maths is her passion and maths is everywhere. In nature, in the park, in the playground, at home, in the city. The whole world is a world of shapes and maths just waiting to be explored. From finding the perfect curve at the park to exploring concentric circles at the lake. Solving division problems at the dinner table to using trajectory to launch a paper aeroplane. Maths really is everywhere and one little girl is really very glad it is…

Like the girl in this story, I love maths. I love noticing how buildings have been constructed, the use of triangles for bridges, spotting the symmetrical patterns on leaves, parallel lines on sports fields, finding curves, seeing numbers and shapes and taking the time to appreciate a world where maths is pretty much at the heart of everything.

The world would be a really boring place if we liked the same thing and Miguel Tanco’s book is a celebration of individuality and finding your passion in something that you truly love. The girl in the story finds her passion everywhere and it is truly wonderful, her enthusiasm for maths explodes off the pages. I really hope lots of young children, particularly girls, discover that they too have a passion for maths.

The narrative is told in minimal text with large illustrations dominating the pages. Illustrations are completed using a simple colour palette and show a mixed race family. Some lovely additional content is included at the end. In a ‘My Maths’ book the girl explains her world. She explains different mathematical terms and uses drawings, sketches and illustrations to show examples within the world. In a brief note, Tanco provides insight into why the girl in the story is named Katherine. She is named after Katherine Johnson who was an important mathematician that worked for NASA and played one of the most important roles in helping send humankind into space.

A great book that will bring much delight to passionate maths kids and might just win over reluctant mathematicians as it opens their eyes to the beauty of maths and where it can be found.

Recommended for 4+.