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Available in English
Activity Summary
Use this storybook guide with the book “Baby Goes to Market.”
Many public libraries have this book. This book is a Mathical Award winner.
Reading guide
About the Story
Baby is tied to Mama’s back in an outdoor African market. A seller gives Baby 6 bananas without Mama knowing. Baby eats 1 and puts 5 in the basket on Mama’s head. Other sellers give Baby food, too. Each time, Baby eats 1 piece of food and puts the rest in Mama’s basket. At the end, Mama is surprised to find so much food in her basket! She decides to go home and feed Baby, who, she thinks, must be very hungry.
Words to Learn
MATH WORDS
five, four, three, two, one
OTHER WORDS
market, curious, seller, crowded, grins, palm oil, chin-chin biscuits (a fried pastry, a little like a small donut), chili peppers
About the Math
As Baby and Mama stroll through the market, your child can learn:
To count the treats that Baby gets and the treats
that end up in the basket.
- Taking away one treat reduces the total number
of treats by one. - The numbers of treats are in reverse order:
5, 4, 3, 2, 1. - There are many beautiful patterns on the clothes
people wear in the market.
Math Talk During Reading
- COUNT THE TREATS
How many oranges did the seller give Baby? How many did Baby eat? How many oranges did Baby put in Mama’s basket? - ADD ONE TO FIND THE TOTAL
Mama has lots of things in her basket—five bananas and a yam. How many things are in Mama’s basket altogether? - EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED
The seller gave Baby 5 oranges. But there are only 4 oranges in Mama’s basket. Why does she have only 4? What happened
Try to come up with some of your own questions and comments, too!
Activity After Reading
- PLAY GROCERY STORE
Give your child some play food (or real food) to “sell” to you. You “buy” 5 apples. Cover them. Take one away as your child watches. Ask, “How many are left under the cover?”
Download this activity
English version
Download the Storybook Guide