Storybook Guide Based on Tana Hoban's "More, Fewer, Less" ⋆ DREME Family Math

Activity Summary

Use this storybook guide with the book “More, Fewer, Less.”
Many public libraries have this book.

Reading guide

About the Story

More, Fewer, Less shows your child pictures of familiar animals and everyday objects of various shapes, colors, and textures. There are no words at all! Each page invites your child to take a closer look at the colorful photographs and compare the number of objects in the photos using the words more, fewer, and less.

Six ducks gather around a metal pot with water and drink. Image from “More, Fewer, Less.”

Words to Learn

MATH WORDS
more, most, fewer, less, least

OTHER WORDS
parrot, glass bottle, bouquet, jelly bean

About the Math

More, Fewer, Less is about comparing numbers of objects or amounts of a quantity like weight or volume. While exploring the photographs, your child can learn how to:

Count to find out “how many” things are in a group.
Compare the number of objects by counting or using visual clues to figure out which group has more and which group has fewer.
Determine whether there is more or less of a quantity by estimating based on what you see. For example, each jelly bean takes up less space and weighs less than each pepper.
Sort and categorize objects. For example, some objects, such as the baskets, can be categorized by color. Other objects, such as the peppers, can also be categorized by shape.

Many pumpkins and a few squash sit on a wooden table. Image from “More, Fewer, Less.”

Math Talk During Reading

COUNT THE NUMBER OF OBJECTS:
How many red shoes do you see? Can you count the number of sheep?
EXPLORE WHICH HAS MORE OR LESS:
Which basket has more fruit? Are there fewer red cups or yellow cups? How do you know?
EXPLORE THE DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT BETWEEN THE PUMPKINS:
Which pumpkin looks lighter than the others?
MAKE A PREDICTION:
If I remove one red basket, will there still be more red baskets than green baskets?

Try to come up with some of your own questions and comments, too!

Activity After Reading

COUNT THE CARS YOU PASS AS YOU GO ON A WALK WITH YOUR CHILD.
Ask your child to compare the cars and decide what color car you saw more or less of: “We saw four red cars and six black cars. Did we see more red or black cars? Were there fewer red cars or fewer black ones?”

Download this activity

English version

Download the Storybook Guide

Versión en español

Descarga la guía

For Educators

See how you can use this activity with a family

Activity Author

Colleen Uscianowski