Books are listed with most recent publication dates first.

NEW: EASTER BABIES, a Springtime Counting Book, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.: ages 3 and up. From one newborn foal walking on wobbly legs and five open-billed nestlings eager for food to eleven children playing in the park and twelve church bells ringing, this lovely picture book celebrates spring, Easter, and new life.

Now available as a board book.

ISBN: 978-1-4027-6352-6 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-0-545-33308-5 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-4027-9763-7 (board book)

“Spring’s renewal is represented by the newborns that appear during the season. There are plenty of babies to admire in this offering from the team that created Stable in Bethlehem: A Christmas Counting Book (2007). Adorable animals, from a wobbly foal to frisky lambs, provide lots of opportunities to count. The illustrations are rendered in soft, earthy hues that convey the sense of a season just waking up, while flashes of color—baby-blue egg shells, painted Easter eggs—promise bright days to come. This is a book that encourages sharing, preferably in a cozy chair.” (Kara Dean)

STABLE IN BETHLEHEM, a Christmas Counting Book, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.: ages 3-5. In this bedtime countdown, readers are invited to nestle with the animals in the manger where Jesus was born. Written in tender verse and illustrated with stunning jewel-toned art, each image evokes what’s most meaningful about Christmas making it perfect for sharing all through the season.

Now available as a board book.

ISBN: 978-1-4027-4121-0 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-4027-9764-4 (board book)
ISBN: 978-0-545-51549-8 (paperback)

ISBN: 0-375-83421

“Mary Clare (who has red hair) is a kind little girl who is the soul of generosity. As a structure for introducing the concept of fractions, she shares various food treats with her friends and family. The simple rhyming text proceeds in logical numerical progression, from on pear divided in two halves through a muffin divided into thirds, on up to Mary Clare’s birthday cake divided into ten slices. An additional math concept that is cleverly and clearly conveyed shows that Mary Clare must count herself in the number of slices needed (for example, five cousins arrive for a visit so the total is now six children and each will get one sixth of an orange). What could be a boring and didactic exercise in fractional story problems is instead a witty easy reader, combining breezy rhymes with cheerful illustrations of children of many ethnicities.” (Kirkus)

(sold nearly 50,000 copies in the first year)

WILD FIBONACCI, Nature’s Secret Code Revealed, Illustrated by Carol Schwartz, Tricycle Press 2005: Ages 8-adult. A clear and accessible introduction to the Fibonacci number sequence and its presence in the animal world.

ISBN: 1-58246-154-6

“Schwartz’s finely detailed illustrations depict the easily counted animals in their habitats and panels at the leading edge of each spread featuring dots and equations illustrate where readers are in the sequence. It’s an entirely novel way to present a very tricky idea…” (Kirkus)

In a unique counting book, Joy Hulme and illustrator Carol Schwartz explore WILD FIBONACCI: NATURE'S SECRET CODE REVEALED. Hulme opens with a double-page spread explaining the mathematical pattern or “Fibonacci sequence” whereby “the next number in the sequence comes from adding the two numbers before it (1,1,2,3,5,8,13_ and so on).” Hulme then points out the prevalence in the natural world of curves based on the sequence: a tiger’s claws, a ram’s horns, even a seahorse’s tail. Short poems provide factual information in an engaging word package as young readers learn about the curved pattern of elephant tusks, parrot beaks and seashells. Acrylic paintings by Carol Schwartz place the creatures in their natural habitats, enabling youngsters to learn more about the larger natural environment. Schwartz’s superb artwork manages to be both accurate and lively and exhibits great attention to detail. Kids will have a great time counting the 55 curved beaks that enable the white ibis to “build a nest of sticks, scoop a marshy meal to eat, or feed new baby chicks.” (The Washington Parent, Feb. 2006)

“Cool Read: …. WILD FIBONACCI is designed as a picture book and the poems and the gorgeously detailed full-page illustrations can be enjoyed by children of even the youngest age. But it is older children or teens with an interest in math who will really get into what Hulme is doing here. Further, if you have an animal lover in the family you would do well to show just what is behind the design of those talons, tail and horns; this is truly fascinating stuff and presented in a manner that is both informative and fun.” (Colleen Mondor)

LOOKOUT BRIGADE, Covenant Communications 2005, ages 7-12: Historical novel about a band of Mormon boys who protected the Nauvoo temple from vandals in 1846.

ISBN: 1-59156-835-6

CLIMBING THE RAINBOW, Harper Collins, 2004: Historical novel, sequel to THROUGH THE OPEN DOOR. Recommended for ages 8-12 but some of its best fans are senior citizens who remember this time period. Chosen by The Washington Post as “Kids BOOK of the week.” (March 28, 2004). Compared by critics to Little House and American Girl series, Caddie Woodlawn and Ann of Green Gables. “Vivid and occasionally touching” (ALA). “Hulme keeps up a steady flow of interesting, funny, sometimes tragic events that keep the story moving.” (Carolyn Phelan, Booklist). (This book is out of print but Joy has all remaining copies.)

ISBN: 0-38-081572-9

"Those who recall Dora Cookson from Through the Open Door (2000) will be pleased to follow her now that an operation has enabled her to speak. For the first time in ten years, she attends school but must sit with first graders, because of her lack of schooling, although she can read. When a sympathetic teacher allows her to progress as she learns the materila, within the year Doa is in fourth grade. Her gumption, imagination and perserverance are admirable as she and her family work and work hard, to own homestead in 1911...... Life abounds throughout with details about farming, butchering and the day's work. Readers will want to see Dora's story continued. (fiction. 8-12)" (Kirkus)

Washington Post Book of the Week
"The other kids in Dora Cookson's two-room schoolhouse think she's dumb. Why else would Dora, who is 10 and has just moved to New Mexico with her family, be in first grade?

True, it is Dora's first time in a classroom, but she's not stupid. With the help of her teacher and Cora Beth, her new best friend, Dora is soon learning to write in cursive, add and subtract, and spell like a champion.

Encouraged by Cora Beth, Dora dreams of finishing four grades in one year and catching up with her classmates. Can she do it, especially after a tragedy disrupts her life?

This story isn't just for girls, although there is a lot of talk about dolls, jump ropes and sewing. But boys will enjoy it when Dora's brothers bury her favorite doll and then can't find it, and when they enter a contest to see who can kill the most flies.

Tucked in along the way are interesting tidbits about life in New Mexico in the early 1900s before it became our 47th state." (The Washington Post, March 28, 2004)

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THROUGH THE OPEN DOOR, Harper Collins, 2000: Middle-grade historical novel about late homesteading days in New Mexico, based on the experiences of a real family. This is the first book in a series. Ages 8-12: “The accessible text is straightforward, and the first person narration is particularly apt for this appealing fictionalized memoir.” (Shawn Brommer, School Library Journal). (This book is out of print.)

ISBN: 0-380-97870-9

BUBBLE TROUBLE, Illustrated by Mike Cressy, Children’s Press (Grolier), 1999, Rookie Reader. Ages 1-5.

ISBN: 0-516-21584-1 (hardcover)
ISBN: 0-516-26473-7 (paperback)

Amazon 5 star reviews:
“My sister had a copy of this book, and whenever I took my 3 year old over to her house to play,… every time, he would pick out this book. I had to buy it for him and I must admit that I think it’s just a lot of fun to go through."

“My one and a half year old boy LOVES this book. The book was short enough yet exciting enough to keep my son’s short attention span focused, and the rhyming was fun for both of us.”

EERIE FEARY FEELING–A Hairy Scarey Pop-up Book, Random House, 1998. Illustrated by Paul Ely Design and paper engineering by Dick Dudly. Ghosts, witches, skeletons, banshees—terrible creatures of the night celebrate Halloween in this spook-tacular pop-up book. Children will shriek with delighted terror as the demons dance and the cauldrons boil. Fearsome action pop-ups and eerie verse offer goulish fun to young monsters. Here's a treat to chill and thrill little terrors all year long. (This book is out of print.)

ISBN: 0-531-30086-2

HOW TO WRITE, RECITE AND DELIGHT IN ALL KINDS OF POETRY, Illustrated by famous paintings, Millbrook Press, library edition 1996, paperback 2003, ages 6-adult. Written with Donna Guthrie. Using examples from children’s writing, the authors introduce the basic concepts of rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. They show how figures of speech can make words waltz and sounds sing. Rules for various forms of poetry from rap to haiku are described, and suggestions for sharing poems with others are included as well. An “open, appealing and approachable format” (School Library Journal)

ISBN: 0-7613-1831-3

Amazon 5 star reviews:
“This book is great for both teachers and students. It includes everything you need to teach, write and enjoy poetry….”

“I teach fourth grade and use this book as the basis for my Friday creative writing lessons. My students love it and can’t wait for language class that day… Great Reference.”

COUNTING BY KANGAROOS, Illustrated by Betsy Scheld, W. H. Freeman and Company, 1995, ages 6-10: This book uses Australian marsupials to teach math. The text, composed of “verse lively as a jump rope rhyme” (Horn Book) describes the visit of three hippity, hoppity kangaroos whose pouches are filled with bandicoots, wombats, quokkas and other native animals that leap out in larger and larger numbers to the dismay of Sue and Fae, whose home they are visiting. (This book is out of print but Joy still has some copies available.)

ISBN: 0-7167-6602-7

Amazon 5 star review:
“Counting by Kangaroos is valued by math teachers for units on patterning or as an introduction to multiplication tables. It was also recently included on an internet list as one of the ten best books for teachers to use in units about Australia.”

SEA SUMS, Illustrated by Carol Schwartz, Hyperion Books for Children, 1996, ages 5-10: A nature/number book that teaches adding and subtracting as colorful ocean animals come and go in the coral reef. (This book is out of print with Hyperion but available through the Scholastic school market and is a Big Book with Harcourt Educational Publishers.)

ISBN: 0-439-27278-5

Amazon 5 star review:
“This is one of my favorite books to read to my children. The rhyming text makes it lyrical to read, while my eye easily wanders over the illustrations … I recommend it unreservedly, as well as its companion SEA SQUARES by the same pair.”

WHAT IF? Just Wondering Poems, Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev, WORDSONG, Boyds Mills Press, 1993. All ages. This book is a collection of whimsical musings about animals that include both facts and fantasies. (This book is out of print.)

ISBN: 1-6397-186-0

“Hulme begins with childlike questions about nature and proceeds with wry speculations about animals in language that is simple and conversational resulting in a book that is thoughtful and quietly humorous and appeals to both pre-readers and those more advanced.” (Lee Bock, School Library Journal).

SEA SQUARES, Illustrated by Carol Schwartz, Hyperion Books for Children, 1991, ages K-college. Square numbers are taught usuing sea creatures. Named an “Outstanding Science Trade Book” in 1991, “Children’s Choice” in 1992, “Favorite Paperback” in 1993, and one of the “California Collection” in 1997 and 2000.

ISBN: 1-56282-080-x

Amazon 5 star review:
“Joy Hulme’s Sea Squares is a fun rhyming romp that illustrates the concept of squaring numbers. The rhyme has a definite rhythm to it and the illustrations are superb. The borders on each page hint at what the reader will find when the page is turned. The gorgeous use of color in these seascapes delights the eye… My children love the book and didn’t even realize it was a ‘math’ book. I highly recommend adding it to your collection.”