Ten-year-old Ailani Cres inherits her grandmother's mysterious pattern trunk-bursting with fabric swatches, threads, and watercolor palettes inscribed with cryptic symbols. When she experiments by layering a houndstooth patch and swirling stripes, patterns leap from cloth to life, dancing along walls in coordinated sequences. Teaming up with Cedrik Mora, a budding mathematician, she deciphers the rhythms hidden in repeating shapes, exploring tessellations, symmetry, and musical meter. Their first mission to restore harmony to the muted Checkerboard Village becomes a playful adventure in art, math, and melody. Patterns and Playtime inspires young readers to see the world's beauty through shapes, colors, and song.