I met with an Editorial Director at Charlesbridge Publishing a few weeks ago, and she invited me to submit my picture book manuscripts. I had gone to an author event at Charlesbridge last year with my son to learn about Paul Reynolds’ latest books with his brother, Ish! author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds.
I have, in fact, have a picture book manuscript with an adding to ten concept and my dream publisher for this book would be, in fact Charlesbridge. My son and I read every single book of their Sir Cumference series. He likes math picture books a lot!
I thought I’d add an Adding to Ten Back Matter page to my book.
Adding to 10 Math Games
What’s In My Hand?
Use ten dried beans, coins, or other small objects that fit in the palm of your hand. Divide them randomly into two piles and hold one in each closed fist.
Open one hand and ask, “what’s in my hand?” Using the number of objects in the open hand, the person playing the game with has to figure out how many are hidden in your other hand.
Roll a Dice Adding to Ten Game
Roll a dice that is numbered one to six. Use a timer to track how fast you can figure out how many more you need to add to ten with the number that you rolled.
Roll Two Dice Adding to Ten Game
Use two dice and roll together to see if the numbers add to ten. If it does, the person rolling says the sum: 4 + 6 = 10, and gets one point. If your dice add to ten, you get another turn,. If the dice numbers don’t add up to ten, , pass the dice to the next person on your right. The first person with ten points wins.
Go Fish Adding to Ten Card Game
Use a deck of playing cards, but just use the number cards, removing all the face cards (Joker, King, Queen, and Jack) and the 10 cards. Keep the Ace for the number 1. Each player draws seven cards. If any of the cards adds to ten, the player put them down in front of them, one stack for each set that adds to ten.
The first person can ask another player for a number. If that person has the card, he/she hands it over. If not, “go fish” and the person takes a card from the deck. The person to the right has the next turn.
My books:
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación
- ⭐ Starred review from Kirkus
- ⭐ Starred review from Publishers Weekly
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal
- Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026
Free and downloadable guide:
Barbed Wire Between Us Teacher’s Guide
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Gold Award
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
The Traveling Taco:
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
- ALSC Notable Children’s Book
- 2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
- 2024 Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
- Recommended Reading for the Social Justice Literature Award 2025 (International Literacy Association)
- Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
- Sunshine State Young Readers Award Orange Blossom List for Nonfiction
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bank Street College’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
That’s great you were invited to submit you manuscripts, Mia . You really have a lot of energy and do so much. And, a new book on the way!
Thanks so much Pat! They rejected the book.
Best of luck with the MS! And I like the games. When my son was in about 3rd grade, he figured out how to use Legos to do addition, subtractions, and fractions 🙂
Thanks so much Rebecca. My book got rejected but I am still submitting there.
Great stuff… Thanks for sharing Mia…
Thanks Philip!
Pinned! I just noticed today that my youngest son still doesn’t know all his 10 facts.
Hi Mother of 3,
I find that it’s a ongoing thing. My kids know their adding to ten and I think I am all set, but then they forget a year or two later. My high school 10th grader who is very good at math and in the highest level at school claims that she can barely subtract. She used to be great at it but it’s TRUE! She has forgotten her subtraction facts and is pretty slow and inaccurate if you ask her something simple. I might have to break out the flashcards again!
interesting idea. Pinned it. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing Hayes! Much appreciated!