ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 9, 2026 — Alexandria-based author and retired mathematics specialist Valerie D. Johnson has released her new picture book, I Am a Math Kid, through her children’s publishing company, West Oak Lane Kids, LLC. The book became available November 5, 2026, with a message aimed at young readers and their families: every kid is a math kid.
Designed for children ages 4–8, I Am a Math Kid encourages readers to look beyond worksheets and calculations and discover the math already present in everyday life — in the games they play, the patterns they notice, the questions they ask, and the problems they solve. The book presents children as curious thinkers, creators, explorers, and problem-solvers, and invites them to recognize the math woven into daily life.
Johnson draws on more than 30 years in education as an elementary teacher, mathematics specialist, and curriculum developer. In the classroom, she made math visual, hands-on, interactive, and fun, helping students who insisted math was hard build confidence and develop a more positive relationship with the subject. After helping hundreds of children build confidence in math, she adopted the self-proclaimed title “Math Whisperer.”
“I saw them. I heard them. And I wanted them to see themselves differently,” Johnson said, recalling students who insisted math was hard or that they didn’t like it.
A Book Built on a Simple Idea: Math Identity
The book’s central argument is that being a math kid is a matter of identity, not just ability. “Being a math kid isn’t about how much math you know or whether you love math today,” Johnson said. “It’s about recognizing that math is already part of who you are and who you can become — and that you can keep growing, discovering, and learning. I Am a Math Kid is for every child, whether they love math, are still figuring it out, or need a little more time and support.”
Johnson’s commitment to STEM education is also rooted in family legacy. Her aunt was NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose story reached global audiences through Hidden Figures. Her first picture book, 1 2 3 Count with Me on Granddad’s Farm, was inspired by summers on her grandfather’s farm and introduces young children to counting through family, farm life, and discovery.
Putting Books Into Title I Classrooms
Alongside the book release, Johnson continues to expand Math Champions for Kids, a West Oak Lane Kids initiative that provides books and hands-on math resources to Title I schools to help children build confidence in math. To date, the initiative has gifted 108 books to six classrooms across two schools.
Johnson founded West Oak Lane Kids, LLC to bring mathematics and literacy together through engaging books and joyful learning experiences. The company’s mission — helping children see themselves as math kids — sits alongside a growing national conversation about representation in children’s publishing, a space where Black-owned companies are building at scale, as Black Business Review’s ranking of the largest Black-owned companies in America shows across industries.
About Valerie D. Johnson and West Oak Lane Kids
Valerie D. Johnson is an author, retired educator, and founder of West Oak Lane Kids, LLC, based in Alexandria, Virginia. With more than 30 years of experience as an elementary teacher, mathematics specialist, and curriculum developer, she uses math through literacy to help children build confidence and see themselves as math kids. Her program ideas have been featured in publications such as Ideas Staff Can Use and 101 Ways to Create Real Family Engagement, and she has facilitated workshops for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Staff Development for Educators, and the Virginia PTA. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and National PTA.
I Am a Math Kid is available now. Readers can learn more about Johnson, her books, and Math Champions for Kids at WestOakLaneKids.com, and follow West Oak Lane Kids on Instagram at @WOLKidsLLC. For press inquiries, contact [email protected].
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