Round (Joyce Sidman)

Title:  Round

Author:  Joyce Sidman

Illustrator:  Taeeun Yoo

Target Ages:   3-6

Genre:  Realistic Fiction 

Publisher Summary: 

Look closely—

how many round

things do you see?

The sun?

The moon?

A rock?

A raindrop?

A seed?

Here is a charming, lyrical

look at why we love round

things, from the small

details of everyday life to

the vast and ancient forces

that shape our world.

First Lines:

I love round things.

I like to feel their smoothness.

My hands want to

reach around their curves.

I love to see round things grow.

Some start out round….

like a seed

or an egg,

waiting to hatch.

Evaluation: 

The soft, textured illustrations are calming and inviting.  Along with the poetic text, they celebrate the wonders of nature and the joy of exploration.  The most endearing part is the sweet relationship between father and child as they explore their world in all types of weather and times of day.

Round is the perfect read-aloud book for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. 

Ideas for Extension Activities at Home or Lesson Plans for Teachers:

• Nature:  Go on a hike or walk.  Together, look for round things.  Older children can bring a notebook and draw pictures of what they see. 
• Writing:  Write out a simple sentence with a blank.  Example:  “Two round things are _______  and ________.”  OR “My favorite round thing is _______.”  Allow children to draw the items or write the words (with adult help).    
• Science:  Ask children why they think circles/round shapes are so common.  Information at the end of the book provides six insightful reasons.
• Art:  There are many circle art projects.  A few that look like fun are from the Artful Parent, Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds, and Reading Confetti.    
• Math:  Read this book when discussing shapes.  Chalk Talk has many excellent extension activities with shapes.
• Reader's Guide from the publisher. 

Visit Susanna Hill for Perfect Picture Book Friday. 

Shape Shift by Joyce Hesselberth

Title:  Shape Shift

Author:  Joyce Hesselberth

Illustrator:  Joyce Hesselberth

Target Ages:  1-6

First Lines:  

“Look around.  What shapes to you see?  I see a rectangle house with a trapezoid roof.  I see a triangle tree.  Shapes are all around us.  Once you know how to find them, you can use shapes to make anything you’d like.”

Publisher Summary:

Look around.  What shapes to you see?  Do you see an oval, a diamond, and a square?  Or do you see a clown upside down?  Or even a watermelon?  Use your imagination—there’s no end to the possibilities. 

Evaluation:

The book begins by introducing 9 shapes—triangle, semi-circle, crescent, trapezoid, rectangle, circle, oval, diamond, and square. First, all the shapes are labeled with their names to encourage sight word recognition.  Second, I like that non-traditional concept book shapes are included like trapezoid, semi-circle, and crescent. 

In several sequences, the two characters, along with their dog, introduce a couple shapes. Then, they work together to come up with an imaginative way to combine them into everyday objects.  For instance, the girls see an angry bull. She combines the crescent with the trapezoid and some additional embellishments to create a picture of one. 

There are some other concepts included. Several times onomatopoeia is used to go along with the picture created, such as splish, splash, swish (for a fish) and zooma-zoom (for a car). Young children can participate in the silly sounds. Each shape is a different color, providing opportunities to teach or to practice identifying colors.  At the end, the group counts to 10. Parents and educators can point to each number and count along. 

The mixed media and digital paint drawings are lots of fun!  The characters display a variety of emotions and lots of energy through their imaginative explorations. 

The many opportunities for interacting, learning, and imagining make Shape Shift an essential book for any early childhood classroom or home library.   

My Heart is Like a Zoo and Perfect Square by Michael Hall both use some similar concepts.  The three books would compliment each other well in a lesson or reading session.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Concepts: Ideal for teaching or reviewing concepts like colors, counting, and numbers.
• Math: Give out physical copies of the shapes either from a math kit or cut out on thick cardstock. For younger children, ask them to hold up each shape as you call it out. For older children, give them a shape and a number. Then give them the chance to find the shape and count out the appropriate number.  Assess comprehension of the 2 skills.
• Art: Cut out different shapes in advance.  Instruct children to create their own pictures from real or imagined ideas.
• Motor Skills:  Practice drawing the different shapes.  Color each one a different color.  Assess how well the shapes are duplicated as well as if the child can identify them and the colors.

Visit Suzanna Hill’s Blog for the Perfect Picture Book Weekly Round up.

Math, Shapes, and Basic Geometry Picture Books

I have had these book tucked away for Math Monday for a few weeks. It is about time I share them!  Each selection focuses on shapes.  They move from simple to more complex.  I hope you can use these books with your youngsters at home or in school.

Shapes with Ocean Animals (by Melanie Watt)

This small board book is perfect for little hands and young minds learning or practicing shapes.  There is a basic thread that unifies the book.   It begins with, “In the ocean…”  Each 2-page layout has a short phrase that refers back to the original introductory phrase and describes the action like “Fish swimming,” “Rays gliding,” and “Crabs snapping.”   The layouts include the labeled shape at the top left corner and a framed picture of the ocean scene that sweeps across both pages, such as seen HERE.   The cheery cartoon animals are colorful and charming.  The fun verbs—swimming, snapping, crawling—on each page are perfect for imitating.  The final layout is a review of all the shapes.  Shapes with Ocean Animals is geared for ages newborn to 4.  

Are Eggs Square? (DK Books)

This see through book is entertaining for children who are already familiar with their shapes.   Each sequence begins with a question.  For instance, the first one is:  “Do ladybugs have square spots?”  The facing see-through page shows a ladybug with square spots.  Child readers or listeners may answer the question and "predict" what the correct answer will be.  A turn of the page reveals a ladybug with naturally shaped spots.  It replies:  “No, ladybugs have round spots.”  This pattern is repeated for triangles, stars, squares, ovals, and rectangles.  The easy, predictable text is good for early readers to practice on.  A quick review of shapes is provided at the end.  This fun, interactive book is perfect for ages 3-7. 

Shape Up!  Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons (by David A. Adler)

Using food and paper, Adler moves beyond basic shape recognition to introduce more advanced math concepts and vocabulary.  First, pieces of cheese and pretzel sticks serve as materials to make triangles of different kinds—scalene, equilateral, and isosceles.   Next, those same pretzel sticks and some paper depict basic angles.  Key vocabulary terms are illustrated such as vertex, right angle, and types of angles (right, obtuse, and acute).  Then, quadrilaterals—trapezoid, parallelogram, rectangle, rhombus, and square—are defined and pictured with paper, pencil, and pretzels.   He finishes off with other polygon shapes using a piece of bread and a knife to create a pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon, hendecagon, and dodecagon.  The illustrations are captivating and interactive.  They will stimulate youngsters to come up with their own foods or household items to create shapes.  Shape Up!  is a fantastic tool for introducing or reinforcing geometric concepts for ages 9 and up.  

Visit love2learn2day for other Math Monday more linked up ideas and resources. 

Picture Book: Perfect Square (Michael Hall)

Summary of Perfect Square (by Michael Hall): 

“A perfect square is transformed in this adventure story that will transport you far beyond the four equal sides of this square book” (from end paper of book).  

The perfect square is perfectly happy.  Each day of the week, something unexpected happens which prompts the square to change.  For instance, on Monday it is cut into pieces and poked full of holes.  As a result, it makes itself into a babbling fountain.  On Tuesday it is torn into scraps, but it does not get discouraged.  It makes itself into a garden.  The square embraces the changes that happen to it—like being shredded, shattered, snipped, or crumpled—to becomes more resourceful and creative.  When on Sunday nothing new happens to it, the square initially feels confined and rigid.   In this satisfying ending, the square finds a way to continue to embrace the world around it and to be content in any circumstance. 

Evaluation:

Like his earlier critically acclaimed My Heart is Like a Zoo, author Michael Hall takes a simple concept and makes it something brilliant.  I love the minimal illustrations that depict what has happened to the square and then what it becomes.   In each incident it is difficult to imagine how the square can transform into something amazing, but it never ceases to delight.  Each development has one dominate color to signify a new stage, but for young listeners it is an opportunity to practice identifying colors and for older readers you may discuss why each color was chosen.  Also, the straightforward text and narrative makes this a book that people of all ages can enjoy and appreciate.  A young child will be enchanted by the colors and pictures created with basic shapes.  Older readers will find pleasure in the square's journey.  Despite all manner of circumstance, it never gets discouraged.  Instead, it “thinks outside the box” to make something beautiful out of a seemingly unfortunate situations.  The square’s resilience and contentment are remarkable.   I highly recommend Perfect Square to all ages.  

Teaching Opportunities:

• Art—Give each child a square and basic paper tools; allow them to make their own creative pictures using only the square, the tools, and minimal pen marks OR prompt them to mimic the art work in the book (see Fun & Engaging Activities for Toddlers blog post for an example)  
• Math—Identify the shapes on each page (where relevant) and count how many there are of each
• Colors—Identify the colors together (younger); brainstorm the feelings associated with each color and how they may related to the narrative (older)
• Calender—Recite the days of the week (younger); teach how the days of the week are used as a narrative framework for the action and to signify the passing of time (older)
• Writing —Write a story using the days of the week as the framework (from Karen at Layers of Learning)
• Language Arts—Allow children to summarize the story (younger); discuss how this story uses symbolism (the square going through changes) to illustrate the abstract (how circumstances impact people)--draw parallels between what happens to the square and the lives of people or characters in other books (older)
• Predicting Skills —As each new change occurs to the square, allow the listener(s) to guess what he might become 
• Character Development—Discuss the character qualities of the square (resilience, determination, creativity) and how it helped him to be content and fulfilled in all circumstances

This post is linked up at Hope is a Word for Read Aloud Thursday.  Check out other great read alouds HERE.  

This post is up at Enchanted Homeschooling for Enchanted Thursday.  Check out other great reads and activities for home HERE.

Picture Book: My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall

I was immediately endeared to My Heart Is Like a Zoo (ages 3-10) by Michael Hall.  Each lovable animal in the "zoo" expresses a different aspect of the speaker’s love.  The book begins with the following poetic verse: 

My heart is like a zoo—

eager as a beaver,

steady as a yak

hopeful as a hungry heron

fishing for a snack…

The same framework is used until the end when the tired zookeeper (small boy) cuddles up in bed with all his animals surrounding him.  Using die cut shapes (primarily hearts), a menagerie of animals is created---from the sea, the land, and the air.  My Heart Is Like a Zoo is versatile enough that it can be used for teachable moments from early childhood to elementary school.  

Lesson Plan and Learning Extension Ideas

Younger children can…

• identify circles, rectangles, triangles, and squares  
• count the number of hearts (or other shapes) that make up each animal
• name colors
• identify animals
• connect to a zoo or animal unit

Older children can…

• recognize sound devices like rhyme and alliteration
• recognize similes (and practice creating their own)
• identify adjectives and nouns (parts of speech)
• classify animals into groups—sea, land, and air
• distinguish fantasy from fact
• create animals using various shapes similar to the illustrations