Imagine Counting All the Stars

Imagine Counting All the Stars follows Maddie as she longs to make a friend who enjoys math the way she does. All the other girls would rather play with dolls but Maddie would rather build shapes. It isn’t until Maddie’s dad invites the new girl, Priya, and her mother, that Maddie finds someone who appreciates the stars as much as she does.

What I like: This book has different math terms on the inside covers which is a great way to introduce children to math. This book is great for neurodivergent children struggling to find friends like them. This can encourage children to continue waiting to find a friend with similar interests and embrace who they are until they encounter those friends.

I enjoyed that the start of this book focuses on Maddie and her dad bonding together over their love of math. The book shows how Maddie’s differences affect her engagement with other children in different settings. I appreciated that this book included Maddie’s feelings about not fitting in with the rest of her peers and that we saw those feelings through the illustrations.

This book is one that I found myself able to relate to as I was a child who was interested in math and science growing up. Being different from everyone else and not knowing others who liked the same things felt very isolating. I related to the moment when Maddie found out that Priya loves the stars in the way she does and found that a beautiful moment to read through.

Final Verdict: Imagine Counting All the Stars is a book that children ages 4-8 will enjoy and adults reading along may find themselves relating to the main character. This is a great one to read in a classroom setting to encourage children’s love for math and science from a young age. This book is also a great way to encourage children to embrace their differences and learn how to find others who enjoy similar topics.