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“This clever and approachable picture book helps to normalize math and welcomes elementary aged readers into a world in which math can be more friend than foe.”

—School Library Journal, Starred Review

“A buoyantly funny take on the ubiquity and practicality of math–with encouragement not to fear mistakes.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Dear Math, We’re Not Friends

Written by Lina Chopra Haldar
Illustrated by Teresa Martinez
Published by Beaming Books

Nikhil is an Indian American boy who does not like math! Math gives him a tummy ache, and making mistakes scares him. His teacher encourages him to write letters to math to explore his feelings.

Soon, Nikhil is surprised to learn that not only are drawing, counting, and measuring all a part of math, but math will actually help him when he grows up—whether he pursues his dream of becoming an astronaut or an artist.

Told through his humorous letters to math over a school year, readers observe Nikhil go from feeling uneasy even thinking about math, to embracing how universal and even FUN math is in all its various forms.

Primary ISBN: 9798889835790
Publication Date: August 2026
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Picture Book, Age 05 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , ,

Setting: United States

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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