Here are 100 books that One Grain of Rice fans have personally recommended if you like One Grain of Rice. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of How Much Is a Million?

Joseph D'Agnese Author Of Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci

From my list on helping your kids fall in love with math.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a boy, Joseph D’Agnese grew up absolutely convinced that he was terrible at two school subjects: math and science. Lo and behold—he ended up making a career writing about both! For more than seven years, he edited a children’s math magazine for Scholastic, and was rewarded for his work by multiple Educational Press Association Awards. His children's book about the Fibonacci Sequence, Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci, is available in five languages worldwide, and as a classroom DVD. Blockhead is an Honor Book for the Mathical Book Prize—the first-ever prize for math-themed children's books. Joe’s work in science journalism has been featured twice in the prestigious annual anthology, Best American Science Writing.

Joseph's book list on helping your kids fall in love with math

Joseph D'Agnese Why Joseph loves this book

Big numbers are just as amazing to kids as dinosaurs, and for the same reason. They’re so incredibly huge that they boggle the mind. This book helps kids comprehend big numbers using everyday objects and scenarios. If a million kids sat on each other’s shoulders, how high would they be able to reach? How long would it take to count to a million? Once they master a million, your kid will be well on their way to tackling quadrillions, nonillions, and, heaven help us, decillions!

By David M. Schwartz , Steven Kellogg (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How Much Is a Million? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

“A jubilant, original picture book.” —Booklist (starred review)

Ever wonder just what a million of something means? How about a billion? Or a trillion? Marvelosissimo the mathematical magician can teach you!

How Much Is a Million? knocks complex numbers down to size in a fun, humorous way, helping children conceptualize a difficult mathematical concept. It's a math class you'll never forget.

This classic picture book is an ALA Notable Book, a Reading Rainbow Feature Selection, and a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book for Illustration.

The repackage of this fun look at math concepts includes a letter from the author that…


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Book cover of The Time-Jinx Twins

The Time-Jinx Twins by Carol Fisher Saller,

Twelve-year-old identical twins Ellie and Kat accidentally trigger their physicist mom’s unfinished time machine, launching themselves into a high-stakes adventure in 1970 Chicago. If they learn how to join forces and keep time travel out of the wrong hands, they might be able find a way home. Ellie’s gymnastics and…

Book cover of Grandfather Tang's Story

Joseph D'Agnese Author Of Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci

From my list on helping your kids fall in love with math.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a boy, Joseph D’Agnese grew up absolutely convinced that he was terrible at two school subjects: math and science. Lo and behold—he ended up making a career writing about both! For more than seven years, he edited a children’s math magazine for Scholastic, and was rewarded for his work by multiple Educational Press Association Awards. His children's book about the Fibonacci Sequence, Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci, is available in five languages worldwide, and as a classroom DVD. Blockhead is an Honor Book for the Mathical Book Prize—the first-ever prize for math-themed children's books. Joe’s work in science journalism has been featured twice in the prestigious annual anthology, Best American Science Writing.

Joseph's book list on helping your kids fall in love with math

Joseph D'Agnese Why Joseph loves this book

Tangrams are ancient Chinese puzzles made of up to seven interlocking geometric shapes. As Grandfather Tang assembles his polygons, the animals he creates spring to life. You’ll be astonished to learn all the creatures you can make with a square, a parallelogram, and five triangles. Wooden or plastic tangram puzzles are easy (and inexpensive) to find online, but be sure to help your child make their own out of paper so they can get solid, hands-on experience seeing how they can transform a square into so many different shapes.

By Ann Tompert ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Grandfather Tang's Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This folktale told using ancient Chinese puzzles and watercolor illustrations has been beloved for over thirty years and is the perfect addition to your Father's Day reading list!

When Little Soo asks for a story, Grandfather Tang arranges the tangram pieces and two magic fox fairies spring to life. The foxes change shapes as quick as a wink, from rabbits to dogs to squirrels and geese. But their game turns dangerous when a hunter raises his bow. . . .

Originally published in 1990, Grandfather Tang’s Story will continue to delight new readers as the wonder of the tangram puzzle—and…


Book cover of The Phantom Tollbooth

Alan Gregerman Author Of The Wisdom of Ignorance

From my list on unlocking your curiosity and awesomeness.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am, first and foremost, someone who cares deeply about the world, people, and learning. I have been passionate about ideas, curiosity, and innovation since I was a child and since starting our company and writing four books, have had the privilege of helping over 400 organizations and 700,000 people to unlock their genius by not being experts but by being curious about the world around them and other people. I am also a teacher, speaker, and community volunteer who is keen to help people find their own unique brilliance.

Alan's book list on unlocking your curiosity and awesomeness

Alan Gregerman Why Alan loves this book

This might be my favorite book ever, and while it is not about business, career, or personal development, it speaks to me about the power of opening our eyes and seeing a world filled with possibilities.

I believe in our ability to explore, wonder, and imagine what could be possible.

By Norton Juster , Jules Feiffer (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

15 authors picked The Phantom Tollbooth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer’s splendid illustrations, the wit, wisdom, and wordplay of Norton Juster’s offbeat fantasy are as beguiling as ever. 

“Comes up bright and new every time I read it . . . it will continue to charm and delight for a very long time yet. And teach us some wisdom, too.” --Phillip Pullman

For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only…


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Book cover of The Time-Jinx Twins

The Time-Jinx Twins by Carol Fisher Saller,

Twelve-year-old identical twins Ellie and Kat accidentally trigger their physicist mom’s unfinished time machine, launching themselves into a high-stakes adventure in 1970 Chicago. If they learn how to join forces and keep time travel out of the wrong hands, they might be able find a way home. Ellie’s gymnastics and…

Book cover of The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure

Rob Eastaway Author Of Maths on the Back of an Envelope: Clever Ways to (Roughly) Calculate Anything

From my list on math(s) books for people who don’t read math(s).

Why am I passionate about this?

I started writing maths books because I wanted to share my love of the subject with people who had never really engaged with it at school. I soon discovered that the hardest part is getting somebody to start reading the book in the first place. Why read a book about maths unless you’re already into maths? Over the years I’ve found that the best way of engaging adults in maths is by linking it to things they are interested in – ‘the maths of everyday life,’ if you will. When you add to that a combination of stories, humour, and surprises, I’ve found it’s possible to reveal the joys of mathematics to a much wider audience.

Rob's book list on math(s) books for people who don’t read math(s)

Rob Eastaway Why Rob loves this book

Among my children’s bedtime stories The Number Devil was a favourite. It’s about a boy who finds his school maths lesson dull and pointless. One night in his dreams he gets visited by the Number Devil, who introduces him to the astonishing patterns to be found in numbers. By making the lead character a maths-sceptic, the author carries the reader along so that we are all drawn into the hidden beauty of mathematics. The book has wonderful colour illustrations, which adds to its charm. Parents love it too.

By Hans Magnus Enzensberger , Rotraut Susanne Berner (illustrator) , Michael Henry Heim (translator)

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Number Devil as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Twelve-year-old Robert hates his maths teacher: he sets his class boring problems and won't let them use their calculators. Then in his dreams Robert meets the Number Devil, who brings the subject magically to life, illustrating with wit and charm a world in which numbers can amaze and fascinate, where maths is nothing like the dreary, difficult process that so many of us dread. The Number Devil knows how to make maths devilishly simple.


Book cover of Boats on Land: A Collection of Short Stories

Venkataraghavan Subha Srinivasan Author Of The Origin Story of India's States

From my list on discovering a modern India you’ve never seen.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by maps all my life. The map of India has always held special interest. As I’ve lived in different parts of India, I’ve seen firsthand how India is one country, but its stories are multiple. I chronicled India’s varied stories through the origins of each of its states. Similarly, I’ve curated a diverse and inclusive reading list. It covers different parts of the country and contains different types of books—graphic novel, travelog, memoir, and short story collections. The authors also cut across religion, gender, and social strata. I hope you discover a whole new India!

Venkataraghavan's book list on discovering a modern India you’ve never seen

Venkataraghavan Subha Srinivasan Why Venkataraghavan loves this book

I love how this short story collection traverses time but not locationthe setting is the northeastern state of Meghalaya while the stories span 150 years. In these fifteen tales, folklore mixes with modern life and myth is steeped in the mundane. The result? The reader journeys through a rich smorgasbord of a multi-faceted Meghalaya and its people. Given the tendency to clump the seven northeastern states together, this book helps us view one of those states distinctively.

By Janice Pariat ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Boats on Land as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Boats on Land is a unique way of looking at India’s northeast and its people against a larger historical canvas—the early days of the British Raj, the World Wars, conversions to Christianity, and the missionaries. This is a world in which the everyday is infused with folklore and a deep belief in the supernatural. Here, a girl dreams of being a firebird. An artist watches souls turn into trees. A man shape-shifts into a tiger. Another is bewitched by water fairies. Political struggles and social unrest interweave with fireside tales and age-old superstitions. Boats on Land quietly captures our fragile…


Book cover of Spell of the Tiger: The Man-Eaters of Sundarbans

K. Ullas Karanth Author Of Among Tigers: Fighting to Bring Back Asia's Big Cats

From my list on the world’s most popular wild animal.

Why am I passionate about this?

This is a unique tale of exciting personal encounters with wild tigers as well my hard science that revealed their mysterious world. Readers will experience the conflicts, violence, and corruption, inherent to struggle to recover the charismatic, dangerous predator. Among Tigers is not the usual doomsday prophecy, but a clear roadmap for how we can grow tiger populations to new levels of abundance. While it does not gloss over the very real challenges, overall, it delivers a message of reasonable hope to nature lovers worldwide. I have scientifically researched tigers and, fought passionately to save them, making me uniquely qualified to tell this story like no one else can. 

K.'s book list on the world’s most popular wild animal

K. Ullas Karanth Why K. loves this book

This is a non-fiction classic about ‘tiger culture’ of a remote part of India where tigers do not fear humans as they do elsewhere: in fact, they even hunt down and eat dozens of people every year in this giant Sundarbans swamp where natural prey is scarce. Montgomery is brilliantly evocative while bringing to life both nature and humans of the swamp, making the book a NY Times best-seller. The local culture, where tigers are loathed, feared, and revered as deities—all at the same—is portrayed stunningly. These habitats, tiger behaviors, and local cultures are strikingly different from the ones I describe in my book. Montgomery views the tiger through a filter of human culture, whereas I do so through a filter of hard ecology. Yet, we admire each other’s work because we are both under the spell of the same tiger.   

By Sy Montgomery ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Spell of the Tiger as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of The Soul of an Octopus and bestselling memoir The Good Good Pig, a book that earned Sy Montgomery her status as one of the most celebrated wildlife writers of our time, Spell of the Tiger brings readers to the Sundarbans, a vast tangle of mangrove swamp and tidal delta that lies between India and Bangladesh. It is the only spot on earth where tigers routinely eat people-swimming silently behind small boats at night to drag away fishermen, snatching honey collectors and woodcutters from the forest. But, unlike in other parts of Asia where tigers are rapidly…


Book cover of Shadows on the Wall: Dark and Weird Stories

David Schembri Author Of Beneath the Ferny Tree

From my list on horror fiction providing the most fun being scared.

Why am I passionate about this?

I wasn’t a fan of reading when I was young. I was a lazy reader. Subjects and genres were always chosen for me during education, until I hunted for my own. I used to write a lot more than reading in early high school. I wrote a horror journal, submitted to my English teacher every week. He told me that my writing was good but advised me that reading the genre could help develop my ideas. Funny, a young teenager couldn’t work that out? So, off I went to the local bookstore and bought my first horror novel. I devoured it within a week. I've been a reader and writer of horror ever since.

David's book list on horror fiction providing the most fun being scared

David Schembri Why David loves this book

I went to the book launch in support of this author and had the pleasure of meeting him in person. I had not known much of his work previously but that has never stopped me from accepting an invitation to attend. I got the book home and made a start and was hooked by his elegant writing style. This is a book of short horror stories, each beautifully crafted, and inspirational as well as enjoyable. Collected works are a hard thing to get right, and Paulsen makes it look easy. 

By Steven Paulsen ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shadows on the Wall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this collection, readers will enjoy the very best of Steven Paulsen’s dark and weird tales. Included are stories such as a future where population forces families into terrible choices, the awakening of an eldritch horror in colonial British India, the steaming jungles of Vietnam alongside the spirits of the forest, and more.


Book cover of Yogi Heroes and Poets

Gordan Djurdjevic Author Of Sayings of Gorakhnāth: Annotated Translations of the Gorakh Bānī

From my list on the Nāth Yogis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was drawn to the subject of Yoga already as a teenager. Much later, I did my Ph.D. Thesis on the subject of the Nāths. I find fascinating the wealth of esoteric ideas and assumptions at the root of their project: the search for the elixir of immortality through internalization of the principles of alchemy. I admire their ethos, their stories, and the whole fabric of legends that surrounds them. I have done some work on translating the poetry attributed to their founder, guru Gorakhnāth, and that made me appreciative of their wisdom and their views, even when I disagreed with some of those.   

Gordan's book list on the Nāth Yogis

Gordan Djurdjevic Why Gordan loves this book

What I like about this collection of essays on the Nāth Yogis is its breadth and diversity: scholars from five countries engage historical, religious, philosophical, folkloristic, textual and anthropological fields of pertinent inquiry. The reader is left with a feeling of truly coming closer to understanding the Nāths, once a very influential religious denomination that often considers itself separate from the dominant Hindu and, to a lesser degree, Muslim environments.

I admire the sense of self-esteem and self-identity displayed, for example, in the ideas about the inner worlds, the whole cosmos contained within the Yogi’s body, as described in David White’s contribution to the anthology. To my mind, the Nāths’ conceptions about the hidden properties of the human body represent the South Asian esotericism par excellence. This collection offers an insight into their world that truly abounds in erudite riches.  

By Adrian Munoz (editor) , David N. Lorenzen (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yogi Heroes and Poets as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book provides a remarkable range of information on the history, religion, and folklore of the Nath Yogis. A Hindu lineage prominent in North India since the eleventh century, Naths are well-known as adepts of Hatha yoga and alchemical practices said to increase longevity. Long a heterogeneous group, some Naths are ascetics and some are householders; some are dedicated to personified forms of Shiva, others to a formless god, still others to Vishnu.

The essays in the first part of the book deal with the history and historiography of the Naths, their literature, and their relationships with other religious movements…


Book cover of The Talking Vegetables

Kari Percival Author Of How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside

From my list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden.

Why am I passionate about this?

When offered a plot at the community garden, I thought it would be fun to invite other families to learn to grow food together. As a science teacher, I knew that for toddlers, digging in the dirt and growing plants for food could plant seeds for a life-long love of exploring nature, hands-on science inquiry, environmental stewardship, and joy in healthy eating. As we gardened, I noticed what questions children and their parents had, and how we found the answers together. I wrote the picture book How to Say Hello to A Worm: A First Guide to Outside to inspire more kids and their parents to get their hands dirty. 

Kari's book list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden

Kari Percival Why Kari loves this book

Why garden at all? Isn't it a lot of work? I can always count on The Talking Vegetables, a retelling of a traditional African story, to delight toddlers and preschoolers. They revel in Spider's laziness as he shirks helping neighbors grow food at the community garden, and are just as delighted when he gets his comeuppance as the insulted vegetables refuse to let him get away without contributing to the team effort.

By Won-Ldy Paye , Margaret H. Lippert , Julie Paschkis (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Talking Vegetables as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

A wonderful folktale from the award-winning authors of Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile The villagers are planting a garden, but Spider refuses to help. He has plenty of rice to eat, so why should he do all that hard work? Then one day Spider gets tired of plain rice and decides to pick some of the delicious produce. Imagine his surprise when the vegetables start talking!
The talented team that created the award-winning titles Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile and Head, Body, Legs join together once again for a laugh-out-loud funny Liberian story. The Talking Vegetables is a…


Book cover of Sistersong

Jelena Dunato Author Of Dark Woods, Deep Water

From my list on folklore and fairy-tale inspired fantasy for dark winter nights.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an art historian, curator, and speculative fiction writer from Croatia, and I’ve always been in love with folklore, mythology, and all things ancient. In my work, I always try to blend real historical details with magic, and I adore secondary worlds that are immersive and solid enough to walk into yet different from our own.

Jelena's book list on folklore and fairy-tale inspired fantasy for dark winter nights

Jelena Dunato Why Jelena loves this book

This book is an enchanting, heartbreaking tale about three sisters in the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia, trapped in a web of a broken family, treachery, and lies.

I loved this book because the author took an ancient folk ballad, “The Twa Sisters,” and turned it into a beautiful story. I was pulled in by the dreamy, poetic tone of the book, the underlying sadness and sense of loss, and the atmosphere of a disappearing world.

By Lucy Holland ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sistersong as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a magical ancient Britain, bards sing a story of treachery, love and death. This is that story. For fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Lucy Holland's Sistersong retells the folk ballad 'The Twa Sisters.'

'A beautiful reimagining of an old British folklore ballad, Sistersong weaves a captivating spell of myth and magic' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

King Cador's children inherit a land abandoned by the Romans, torn by warring tribes. Riva can cure others, but can't heal her own scars. Keyne battles to be seen as the king's son, although born a daughter. And Sinne dreams of love,…


Book cover of How Much Is a Million?
Book cover of Grandfather Tang's Story
Book cover of The Phantom Tollbooth

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