Kindergarten Math Book · Addition & Subtraction
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat loves his four groovy buttons, but one by one they pop off. Each time, Pete keeps singing and counts how many are left, until he finds the one button that never pops off.
Why it's useful
A sing-along story that makes subtraction and counting back fun.
- Taking away one. Four buttons, then three, two, one, zero.
- Counting back. Kids say the numbers in order going down.
- Zero. A friendly way to meet the idea of none left.
Try it in class or at home
- Sing and subtract. Use four paper buttons and take one off each verse.
- Write it. Show each page as an equation: 4 − 1 = 3.
- Change the number. What if Pete had six buttons? Act it out.