Animals on Board by Stuart J. Murphy introduces young readers to the concept of addition through a lively story about animals grouping together on a journey. The book follows the story of Jill, a truck driver, who transports animals to Noah's Park. As the animals board in pairs and groups, children practice adding and combining numbers in an engaging, real-world context. The book encourages critical thinking and problem-solving while making math fun, helping kids see how numbers apply to everyday situations.

This book is integrated into our homeschool math curriculum, providing a rich resource for mathematical learning and critical thinking. Here are several ways we utilize Animals on Board in our curriculum:

• Hands-on Math Activities: Students will engage in hands-on activities that mirror the story's context, such as grouping toy animals and adding them together to reinforce the understanding of addition. 
• Creative Writing Assignments: Children write their own version of the story, incorporating different animals or scenarios. Students can craft the narrative from the perspective of characters or articulate how different groups of animals could join the journey.
• Critical Thinking Challenges: The curriculum includes problem-solving tasks based on the scenarios presented in the book. Students are encouraged to think critically about how the number of animals changes with each stop the truck makes, applying addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems.
• Interactive Reading Sessions: Interactive reading sessions allow students to participate actively- predicting upcoming numerical patterns, identifying the mathematical symbols used in the book, and verbally solving addition problems as the story progresses.