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The Big Book of Pi: The Famous Number You Can Never Know
Not yet published
Expected 3 Feb 26“Explore the fascinating world of Pi! Part humor and part science, this book takes you on a playful journey through the astonishing history of this unique number.” – Hugo Duminil-Copin, Winner of the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics
A mathe-magician explores what makes Pi so intriguing, so unknowable and so very important to our lives.
For millennia, humans have been obsessed with the number Pi. We needed it for architecture, geometry and astronomy, and so it was sought by the ancient Egyptians, the Mayans and the ancient Chinese. But no one has ever found it—and no one ever will because Pi is infinite and irrational. Its decimals contain the birthdates of all the children who have ever lived, every piece of music, the complete works of Shakespeare. Pi never ends and can’t be learned, but humans keep on trying. Today, we know trillions of decimals of Pi, even if the first fifteen are more than enough to send a rocket to Mars!
Telling the story of Archimedes the Greek to Srinivasa Ramanujan the Indian (who saw in his dreams a formula for calculating Pi still used by computers today), via Arabs and mathematics enthusiasts from all over the world and all eras, The Big Book of Pi is an extraordinary adventure (almost) to infinity.
Written by a mathe-magician with a Pi-passion, in these pages you’ll meet a man who memorized ten thousand digits—and get a chance to try yourself. You’ll read about a Pi paradox and a Pi magic trick and laugh at more Pi jokes than you ever thought you’d hear. We can’t ever know Pi, but there sure is a lot to learn!
A mathe-magician explores what makes Pi so intriguing, so unknowable and so very important to our lives.
For millennia, humans have been obsessed with the number Pi. We needed it for architecture, geometry and astronomy, and so it was sought by the ancient Egyptians, the Mayans and the ancient Chinese. But no one has ever found it—and no one ever will because Pi is infinite and irrational. Its decimals contain the birthdates of all the children who have ever lived, every piece of music, the complete works of Shakespeare. Pi never ends and can’t be learned, but humans keep on trying. Today, we know trillions of decimals of Pi, even if the first fifteen are more than enough to send a rocket to Mars!
Telling the story of Archimedes the Greek to Srinivasa Ramanujan the Indian (who saw in his dreams a formula for calculating Pi still used by computers today), via Arabs and mathematics enthusiasts from all over the world and all eras, The Big Book of Pi is an extraordinary adventure (almost) to infinity.
Written by a mathe-magician with a Pi-passion, in these pages you’ll meet a man who memorized ten thousand digits—and get a chance to try yourself. You’ll read about a Pi paradox and a Pi magic trick and laugh at more Pi jokes than you ever thought you’d hear. We can’t ever know Pi, but there sure is a lot to learn!
- GenresNonfiction
88 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 3, 2026
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 20, 2025
In a Nutshell: Exactly as the title states. A big book of everything pi. Fascinating and hilarious. Not at all dry. Totally enjoyed this book. If only math textbooks were like this!
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If someone had told me in my school years that I would relish a book about that infernal concept called pi π, I would have laughed right in their face! Not that I didn’t enjoy maths, but so many geometrical formulae involved the use of pi that it became a bugbear. I wish such a book had existed in my childhood.
Pi is known to be one of the most enigmatic concepts in mathematics, even when humans (with the aid of computers) have unfurled its decimals to much more than practically necessary. This book seeks to shatter the dread surrounding this concept without sounding like a school textbook, and it is VERY successful in this endeavour.
The uniqueness of the approach is that the content is almost conversational despite being so clearly mathematical. Two animal characters, Pi-Rat the rat who likes asking questions and Little Horsey PiPi the horse who loves numbers, are our guides through this journey. They address little readers directly in their dialogues and explanations, which might help children feel more involved in the reading process.
The book begins with a simple introduction to the concept of pi and what makes it special. It then moves through the history of the origin and development of this infamous irrational number, right from the ancient era to the computer age.
The above sounds dry and boring. On the contrary, this section offered me the most fun I have had while reading a maths book! The approach towards every single concept is so simple that even those who struggle with maths would be able to have better clarity on the essence and importance of pi. The concepts are balanced with an ample dose of humour, which further helps keep things easy-going.
I appreciate how there are definitions provided for all complicated terms at the bottom of the same page, even though there is a separate glossary at the end. Having the meaning within sight is always helpful.
The book doesn’t stop at just answering all factual questions about pi. The second section is called ‘Fun with Pi’, which is just outstanding. In all honesty, it might be a bit too challenging for the mathematically-challenged, but we geeks thrive on such content.
Throughout the book, there are plenty of titbits about how pi is ‘cool’ and several riddles and one-liners about pi delivered by Pi-Rat and Little Horsey PiPi. There are even thought-provoking math-related quotes by famous mathematicians and thinkers from across the ages.
Every page of the book comes with a wonderful balance of text and illustrations. All concepts are demonstrated through the graphics, making the explanation super-duper-easy to visualise. The colour tone is kept very basic with just three pastel colours. Thus, though vital to our understanding, the graphics are never distracting.
There’s a special Easter Egg in the Table Of Contents. Don’t miss it.
On the whole, this book was a fabulous reading experience for me. It went far beyond what I had anticipated, and in making a complex concept so approachable and understandable, it truly busted the myth that all math books are boring.
Much recommended to aspiring mathematicians. Maybe even to math-phobes (as long as they avoid the ‘Prove It’ section, else they will break out in a nervous sweat. The authors have anyway made it clear that this section is optional.) The book would be perfect for all readers aged 9 and above. Official target age – 9 to 12 years.
Parting with a dad joke from me to you.
How many stars should such a clever book on Pi get?
'Pi've stars.
My thanks to Publisher Spotlight and Helvetiq for providing the DRC of “The Big Book of Pi” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If someone had told me in my school years that I would relish a book about that infernal concept called pi π, I would have laughed right in their face! Not that I didn’t enjoy maths, but so many geometrical formulae involved the use of pi that it became a bugbear. I wish such a book had existed in my childhood.
Pi is known to be one of the most enigmatic concepts in mathematics, even when humans (with the aid of computers) have unfurled its decimals to much more than practically necessary. This book seeks to shatter the dread surrounding this concept without sounding like a school textbook, and it is VERY successful in this endeavour.
The uniqueness of the approach is that the content is almost conversational despite being so clearly mathematical. Two animal characters, Pi-Rat the rat who likes asking questions and Little Horsey PiPi the horse who loves numbers, are our guides through this journey. They address little readers directly in their dialogues and explanations, which might help children feel more involved in the reading process.
The book begins with a simple introduction to the concept of pi and what makes it special. It then moves through the history of the origin and development of this infamous irrational number, right from the ancient era to the computer age.
The above sounds dry and boring. On the contrary, this section offered me the most fun I have had while reading a maths book! The approach towards every single concept is so simple that even those who struggle with maths would be able to have better clarity on the essence and importance of pi. The concepts are balanced with an ample dose of humour, which further helps keep things easy-going.
I appreciate how there are definitions provided for all complicated terms at the bottom of the same page, even though there is a separate glossary at the end. Having the meaning within sight is always helpful.
The book doesn’t stop at just answering all factual questions about pi. The second section is called ‘Fun with Pi’, which is just outstanding. In all honesty, it might be a bit too challenging for the mathematically-challenged, but we geeks thrive on such content.
Throughout the book, there are plenty of titbits about how pi is ‘cool’ and several riddles and one-liners about pi delivered by Pi-Rat and Little Horsey PiPi. There are even thought-provoking math-related quotes by famous mathematicians and thinkers from across the ages.
Every page of the book comes with a wonderful balance of text and illustrations. All concepts are demonstrated through the graphics, making the explanation super-duper-easy to visualise. The colour tone is kept very basic with just three pastel colours. Thus, though vital to our understanding, the graphics are never distracting.
There’s a special Easter Egg in the Table Of Contents. Don’t miss it.
On the whole, this book was a fabulous reading experience for me. It went far beyond what I had anticipated, and in making a complex concept so approachable and understandable, it truly busted the myth that all math books are boring.
Much recommended to aspiring mathematicians. Maybe even to math-phobes (as long as they avoid the ‘Prove It’ section, else they will break out in a nervous sweat. The authors have anyway made it clear that this section is optional.) The book would be perfect for all readers aged 9 and above. Official target age – 9 to 12 years.
Parting with a dad joke from me to you.
How many stars should such a clever book on Pi get?
'Pi've stars.
My thanks to Publisher Spotlight and Helvetiq for providing the DRC of “The Big Book of Pi” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
May 27, 2025
I received a review copy of this book from Helvetiq via Edelweiss for which my thanks.
Children’s picture books can often be a surprising (and rich) source of new facts and information for both their intended readership and adults, and The Big Book of Pi: The Famous Number You Can Never Know (2025) by Jean Baptiste Aubin, Anita Lehmann, and Joonas Sildre was one such taking us into the fascinating world of the number Pi or 3.14, the irrational number that simply goes on and on and on, and is all the more intriguing for it.
Beginning with its etymology, the name itself given by Welsh mathematician William Jones (1746-1794) before which it was simply (or rather, not so simply) referred to by the unwieldy Latin term translating to ‘the quantity which when the diameter is multiplied by it, yields the circumference’, we go on to explore its intriguing properties, how human interaction with the number first came about—in dealing with all things circular and spherical (after all they did also construct things wonderous even by today’s standards)—and the various mathematicians and attempts since the times of the ancients to calculate its value to ongoing work in the present when mathematicians continue to work at it even though they’ve managed to reach its value till a mind-boggling 100 trillion digits (This incidentally now is just academic interest, since even complex operations like sending rockets to space don’t require accuracy more than 15 places).
But the number is so fascinating, people don’t seem to want to stop: after all, it seems any number of any sequence and length can be found in it—your birthday, any alphabet sequence if we assign numbers to it and so on.
On this journey we meet a range of minds from the ancient world to the present with even the ancients having calculated Pi surprisingly close to its right value. There are those (like Archimedes) who used geometry to reach their answers and others like Madhava of Sangamargama (1350–1425) who used (in fact came up with) calculus, besides also working out formulas that would help one calculate it accurately to more and more places. There were some true geniuses like the German Johann Martin Zacharias Dahse (1821-1861) who could tell the number of books in a library with one look and calculated Pi up to 200 places in his head (no pencil or paper) and Srinivasa Ramanujan (1877-1947) who literally dreamed up hundreds of formulae including to calculate Pi—proved accurate years later. Computers may have made much more complex calculations possible but they still use the formulae created by these brilliant minds.
All of this and more is explained in simple language (for its intended readership) with relevant terms explained where needed at the bottom of the page as well as in a glossary at the end. And this is done with plenty of humour woven in as also two fun characters, Pi-rat and Horsey Pipi! Interspersed are also quotes from celebrated mathematicians.
But this is not all serious stuff packaged as fun alone: there’s plenty of fun besides. After we learn something of Pi and the work done with it, we also have some fun with it, meeting various figures for around the world who’ve memorized Pi (including a 5-year-old), exploring paradoxes, and even Pi jokes. What’s a bunch of sheep in a circle?
Concluding with an E-Pi-logue, the book is illustrated using the three primary colours (besides white and black) which I thought made for a nice choice, and add some more fun elements to one’s reading experience.
A nice, light, yet informative way to get to know about an intriguing number and the many equally intriguing and brilliant minds that have been associated with it!
Children’s picture books can often be a surprising (and rich) source of new facts and information for both their intended readership and adults, and The Big Book of Pi: The Famous Number You Can Never Know (2025) by Jean Baptiste Aubin, Anita Lehmann, and Joonas Sildre was one such taking us into the fascinating world of the number Pi or 3.14, the irrational number that simply goes on and on and on, and is all the more intriguing for it.
Beginning with its etymology, the name itself given by Welsh mathematician William Jones (1746-1794) before which it was simply (or rather, not so simply) referred to by the unwieldy Latin term translating to ‘the quantity which when the diameter is multiplied by it, yields the circumference’, we go on to explore its intriguing properties, how human interaction with the number first came about—in dealing with all things circular and spherical (after all they did also construct things wonderous even by today’s standards)—and the various mathematicians and attempts since the times of the ancients to calculate its value to ongoing work in the present when mathematicians continue to work at it even though they’ve managed to reach its value till a mind-boggling 100 trillion digits (This incidentally now is just academic interest, since even complex operations like sending rockets to space don’t require accuracy more than 15 places).
But the number is so fascinating, people don’t seem to want to stop: after all, it seems any number of any sequence and length can be found in it—your birthday, any alphabet sequence if we assign numbers to it and so on.
On this journey we meet a range of minds from the ancient world to the present with even the ancients having calculated Pi surprisingly close to its right value. There are those (like Archimedes) who used geometry to reach their answers and others like Madhava of Sangamargama (1350–1425) who used (in fact came up with) calculus, besides also working out formulas that would help one calculate it accurately to more and more places. There were some true geniuses like the German Johann Martin Zacharias Dahse (1821-1861) who could tell the number of books in a library with one look and calculated Pi up to 200 places in his head (no pencil or paper) and Srinivasa Ramanujan (1877-1947) who literally dreamed up hundreds of formulae including to calculate Pi—proved accurate years later. Computers may have made much more complex calculations possible but they still use the formulae created by these brilliant minds.
All of this and more is explained in simple language (for its intended readership) with relevant terms explained where needed at the bottom of the page as well as in a glossary at the end. And this is done with plenty of humour woven in as also two fun characters, Pi-rat and Horsey Pipi! Interspersed are also quotes from celebrated mathematicians.
But this is not all serious stuff packaged as fun alone: there’s plenty of fun besides. After we learn something of Pi and the work done with it, we also have some fun with it, meeting various figures for around the world who’ve memorized Pi (including a 5-year-old), exploring paradoxes, and even Pi jokes. What’s a bunch of sheep in a circle?
Concluding with an E-Pi-logue, the book is illustrated using the three primary colours (besides white and black) which I thought made for a nice choice, and add some more fun elements to one’s reading experience.
A nice, light, yet informative way to get to know about an intriguing number and the many equally intriguing and brilliant minds that have been associated with it!
October 22, 2025
Oh man, this book is a really fantastic resource about pi! I'm guessing the target audience may be upper elementary given the cartoon style, but I think it would be a great -- if not even better -- fit for middle and high school students who are learning more about geometry and even trig and calculus. That's because this book isn't simply a straight, good nonfiction reference. It makes you think. It challenges pre-conceived notions about how math works, how numbers work. It takes readers beyond "What is pi?" and "What is pi good for?" to make them think about WHY these laws and numbers work the way they do. Some of the info in this book is mind-blowing to try to wrap your head around.
There's also a lot of history of math in this book, plus footnotes throughout and a glossary at the end, which are all great for older readers. This book would be a great addition for any classroom or library for kids in grades ~4-12, give or take. Younger kids and kids at an earlier level of math-based critical thinking will still get something from the book, I think, though much of the content may be beyond their skill level. The illustrations alone are really great.
I'm definitely saving this one to buy as a gift.
Thank you to Helvetiq and NetGalley for the digital ARC.
There's also a lot of history of math in this book, plus footnotes throughout and a glossary at the end, which are all great for older readers. This book would be a great addition for any classroom or library for kids in grades ~4-12, give or take. Younger kids and kids at an earlier level of math-based critical thinking will still get something from the book, I think, though much of the content may be beyond their skill level. The illustrations alone are really great.
I'm definitely saving this one to buy as a gift.
Thank you to Helvetiq and NetGalley for the digital ARC.
October 13, 2025
Who does not like to think about pi-e! Such a great book to deep dive into all the wonderful things about this math concept. Readers start the journey asking “What is so magical about pi?”. Through the use of humor and historical facts, readers will learn that William Jones from Wales first introduced naming the 3.14 number Pi because it was a lot easier to say than “Quantitas in quam cum multilicetur diameter proveniet circumferencia”- a mouthful of an old Latin phrase. As we continue to journey through the history of pi, we read about the math geek Archimedes and how with the invention of computers, our knowledge of pi has increased tremendously. The illustrations in this book are very fun, with occasional comic-style illustrations to elaborate on the facts of pi. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
October 21, 2025
Thank you Publisher Spotlight, Helvetiq, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is such a fun read full of interesting facts and information about the history of the number Pi, what we know about it, as well as various ideas about how to have fun with it today. I love how the book is written in a simple language that makes the reader want to learn more about this fascinating number. There is even a link and a QR code for an educator’s guide full of even more facts and challenges. Looking forward to sharing it with my colleagues and students.
October 11, 2025
I thought Pi was a long number we get to celebrate every year with pie. It's so much more! This goes through the history and what Pi is and what we know about it and how we can use it -- I'm going to have to read it again because there's so much to remember! And it's written in a fun, engaging way. I need to find out if there are more books like this.
April 7, 2025
The writing showcases a clever push and pull of information and humor. The addition of fun PIctorials makes this little book accessible to all age groups. Really ePIc!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews