“I am a Math Kid,” by Valerie D. Johnoson

About the book: “WHO IS A MATH KID? EVERY KID,” insists author Valerie D. Johnson, a retired educator, mathematics specialist, and award-winning author, who brings a joyful celebration of math identity and the many ways children learn, create, and recognize themselves as makers, doers, explorers, and thinkers. “Look at who you already are. Look at what you already do. Math is part of you.”

“I Am a Math Kid” is a vibrant picture book about discovering your math identity that celebrates the curiosity, creativity, confidence, and mathematical thinking already inside every child, helping young readers see, feel, and claim their identity as math kids.

Valeries says: “Look closely! Math is woven into children’s everyday lives—in the games they play, the problems they solve, the things they create, the questions they ask, and the ways they make sense of the world around them.
Being a math kid is about more than numbers, computation, and answers. It’s about being curious, smart, brave, imaginative, creative, and willing to think, explore, and find clever solutions.

Page by page, children notice the math around them, explore how they use it, and discover just how much math is already part of their lives—in what they see, say, do, create, and figure out. Then something clicks: That’s me! I am a math kid.

Who is the book for? It’s perfect for ages 4–8 and Pre-K–3rd grade; this picture book is ideal for curious young readers, families, teachers, librarians, and classrooms. A book to read, revisit, and enjoy again and again, it invites children to notice new ways math shows up in their lives each time they return to its pages. WHO IS A MATH KID? EVERY KID.

Click here to learn more about the book.

About the author: Valerie D. Johnson is an author, educator, math whisperer, and owner of West Oak Lane Kids, LLC. Her superpower is making learning math easy to understand, engaging, meaningful, and fun. Her mission is to ignite a love of math in all children, one book at a time!

Her charming and visually-engaging children’s books celebrate family, farm life, grandparents, and math. Her books also make math accessible to all children, connect math to the real world, and promote discussions.

Valerie has facilitated workshops for Fairfax County Public Schools, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Staff Development for Educators, and Virginia PTA. She was also awarded educational grants to create “Math Take-Home Toolkits” to support learning at home.

She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and National PTA.

“I want children to see the beauty and power of math—patterns, data, numbers, and shapes—as a way to understand the world. I want my work to inspire a generation of children and ensure all children understand math, love learning it, and thrive in the real world.”