Once Upon a Number: introducing our latest Rocket Pack with The Richmond Project

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our latest Rocket Pack, created in partnership with The Richmond Project. 

The Richmond Project is a new charity founded by Akshata Murty and Rishi Sunak. Their mission is simple by powerful: to transform lives, by numbers.

Once Upon a Number is a curated maths book pack that brings storytelling and numeracy together to build children’s confidence in maths. It also helps families combine literacy and numeracy in an accessible and low-pressure way

Created to support the launch of The Richmond Project’s new Books Count initiative, this special edition Rocket Pack blends counting books, number stories and engaging non-fiction to spark curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of learning. 

Our CEO, Emily Jack, shared her reflections: ​“Our Rocket Packs provide vital access to books for the children who need them most… We’re incredibly proud to be part of an initiative that brings literacy and numeracy together in a way that is accessible, relevant and genuinely enjoyable.”

To mark the launch, we sat down with Bodil Isaksen, Chief Programmes Officer at The Richmond Project, to hear more about their mission, why numbers and stories belong together and how this Rocket Pack can help children discover new confidence across literacy and numeracy.

What is the ​‘Once Upon a Number’ Rocket Pack?

Our new Rocket Pack is a curated collection of maths story books, to bring literacy and numeracy together in a joyful, accessible way.

It aims to:

• Strengthen early numeracy skills 
• Build confidence in reading and maths 
• Encourage logical thinking 
• Make maths feel relatable and fun 
• Support learning at home

Unlike traditional maths workbooks, this pack introduces numbers through storytelling and real-world contexts – helping children experience maths as something creative rather than intimidating.

Why combine maths and storytelling?

The idea grew from The Richmond Project’s exploration of research from the Education Endowment Foundation. ​“Numbers through stories, numbers through books,” Bodil told us, ​“is one of the most recommended strategies for improving number skills in the early years.”

She emphasised how literacy and numeracy strengthen each other: ​“Being better at literacy can help you understand the maths, and being better at maths can help you think more logically and engage more in literacy.” It’s a relationship that can improve children’s attainment and confidence in both areas.

Our Rocket Pack includes a lively mix of counting books, playful number stories and non-fiction titles that make learning feel natural. Bodil highlighted how valuable these books can be: ​“It’s a different take on the typical books that you get in classrooms… lots of the titles are non-fiction, which can appeal to kids that aren’t into traditional chapter story books. It’s another form of reading.”

For many children, this could be the bridge that sparks interest in maths – or helps them see reading in a new light.

Stories allow children to imagine new possibilities for themselves, and Bodil is passionate about ensuring maths expands those possibilities, not limits them.

“We don’t want to close down their doors,’ she said. ​“Let’s not box young children in. Let’s believe every child can achieve and can be supported to love maths.”

Tackling early maths confidence gaps

She also spoke about the worrying early emergence of gender gaps in maths enjoyment. ​“By eight years old, you start to see divergence with girls saying, ​‘I’m no good at numbers,’” despite showing equal confidence at age five. 

This early shift contributes to the wider gender gap in maths enjoyment – an issue widely discussed by educators and parents.

Story-based maths is one way to interrupt this pattern early.

Bringing storytelling into maths also helps children grasp tricky concepts. ​“If you make maths concrete and bring it to life with stories, children understand and remember it so much better,” Bodil explained. From ancient number systems to counting games, stories help children see maths as human, relatable and fun.

She added: ​“Maths is meant to clarify the world around you, not bamboozle you” – storytelling helps ensure that’s exactly how children experience it.

Building strong foundations for learning

Both literacy and numeracy are foundational skills. Without them, children can struggle across the curriculum.

Early support can prevent children from falling behind, build long-term confidence and encourage them to love learning. 

Bodil’s work at the Richmond Project was informed by her previous work as a maths teacher. She saw daily how poor literacy and numeracy held children back. 

Some pupils arrived believing they ​“weren’t maths people,” a label often unintentionally reinforced by parents or previous teachers. But she witnessed transformations too – ​“the right teaching can absolutely disrupt that,” she said. 

The Once Upon a Number Rocket Pack is designed to support that early shift mindset – helping children to nurture a genuine interest in numbers from the start.

Supporting maths at home through reading

“Everyone has things stopping them from being exactly where they want to be – and for too many people, that thing is numbers. We want to bash down those doors.”

The Richmond Project is committed to making maths accessible, interesting and enjoyable for all. ​“It’s a tricky problem, but with the right people putting their minds together, we can make a lot of difference.”

And for families, the advice is simple: ​“reading is already a routine in many households… inserting a bit of numbers into that routine can be a really nice way to bring numbers to life,” Bodil said.

Our Once Upon a Number Rocket Pack helps make that easy – reminding children that numbers aren’t something to fear, but something to explore, enjoy and feel confident about.