Picture Books That Teach Fractions, Ratios, Percentages, and Decimals

You will love this list of picture books that teach fractions, ratios, percentages, and decimals! These topics can be tough for children to grasp…until you bring them to life through picture books.

You’ve heard me say it a million times, but picture books can go a long way in helping children understand tough topics. Math is abstract. That means it isn’t something that our children can easily grasp if they have no prior knowledge or some frame of reference to start with. Picture books (and hands-on activities) are great for doing just that.

Picture books provide great visuals of math concepts, like fractions, that may be hard for children to understand.

This post contains affiliate links.

Even if your children don’t seem to be having trouble understanding fractions, ratios, percentages, and decimals, it never hurts to add an extra layer of connection through picture books.

Picture Books to Teach Fractions

It wasn’t until I started teaching fractions using picture books and hands-on manipulatives that I truly begin understanding them. Seriously. My experiences in school had been too abstract and I usually ended up in tears anytime fractions came around throughout my learning. Books like these and “playing” with manipulatives like fraction bars and circles turned on the light bulb!

You can easily play with fractions in your kitchen, too! Whip up a pizza or a pie and have the kids help cut it in halves, fourths, eighths, etc. Using measuring cups while cooking is also a great way to practice fractions. Your children will be able to see how they can use fractions in the “real world” if they accidentally put a teaspoon of salt into a recipe that only calls for 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Several of these books include food fractions!

A Fractions Goal – Parts of a Whole by Brian P. Cleary
Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta
Clean-Sweep Campers by Lucille Recht Penner
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Fraction Action by Loreen Leedy
Fraction Fun by David Adler
Fractions, Decimals, and Percents by David A. Adler
Fractions in Disguise by Edward Einhorn
Full House: An Invitation to Fractions by Dayle Ann Dodds
Gator Pie by Louise Mathews
Give Me Half! by Stuart J. Murphy
How Many Ways Can You Cut a Pie by Jane Belk Moncure
Mulitplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumplestiltskin by Pam Calvert
Rabbit and Hare Divide an Apple by Harriet Ziefert
Sir Cumference and the Fraction Faire by Cindy Neuschwander
The Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Fractions by Jerry Pallotta
Whole-y Cow! Fractions are Fun by Taryn Souders

Picture Books to Teach Ratios and Proportions

Ratios and proportions are basically fractions, although they explain different information. A ratio is a comparison of two quantities and a proportion is a statement that two ratios are equal. So, for instance, if there are 2 computers in your house and 5 people live in your house, the ratio of computers to people is 2/5. A proportion of 2/5 would be something that is equal to 2/5 like 4/10 or 6/15.

Ratios and proportions sound hard, but they can be understood by most elementary students who have a basic understanding of fractions and multiplication. These books can help bring the concepts to life.

A Very Improbable Story by Edward Einhorn
Beanstalk: The Measure of a Giant by Ann McCallum
Cut Down To Size at High Noon by Scott Sundby
If You Hopped Like a Frog by David M. Schwartz
Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? by Robert E. Wells
Pythagoras and the Ratios by Julie Ellis
Ratios and Rates Reasoning by Melanie Alvarez
The Warlord’s Puppeteers by Virginia Pilegard

Picture Books to Teach Percentages

Percentages are basically fractions, too! They are based on parts of 100, which can make them a little easier to understand once the concept of fractions is down pat. There are only a few books to help specifically with percentages, so be sure to read them all!

Fractions, Decimals, and Percents by David A. Adler
The Grizzly Gazette by Stuart J. Murphy
Twizzlers Percentage Book by Jerry Pallotta

Picture Books to Teach Decimals and Place Value

You guessed it, decimals are basically fractions, too, and they are great to teach right alongside place value. I’ve included books specifically for decimals and place value in this fun list.