Shape

This wonderful book gives children a fresh and informal introduction to both 2-D and 3-D shapes, as well as to concepts such as tessellation, symmetry, and pattern. Superb photographs celebrate the wealth of creativity that is possible by combining squares, triangles, and circles, or cubes, cylinders, and cones. Hands-on projects help give children a firm understanding of shape and encourage them to use their own creativity and imagination.

This wonderful book gives children a fresh and informal introduction to both 2-D and 3-D shapes, as well as to concepts such as tessellation, symmetry, and pattern. Superb photographs celebrate the wealth of creativity that is possible by combining squares, triangles, and circles, or cubes, cylinders, and cones. Hands-on projects help give children a firm understanding of shape and encourage them to use their own creativity and imagination.

Children's Literature

"Everything has shape and size." From the canisters we keep art supplies in to different objects we discover in nature, we always see shapes in diverse ways. Regardless of whether it is a semicircle or a quadrant circle, a circle never changes its image, no matter which way you turn it. Some shapes can be formed from other shapes, such as diamonds and squares formed from triangles. The reader becomes involved in the text from the open ended questions, activities, and commands Goodman and Miller incorporate into the lessons. The reader is then able to relate what he or she sees in the images to objects located in his or her environment. "These shapes have been used to make faces. Which ones can you spot in each funny face Can you find shapes in the picture puzzle that match the white ones above? Can you tell what animals these are from their outlines?" Every page challenges the reader to use what he or she knows about shapes in order to complete new activities. Advance concepts of mathematics are also introduced in Shape, such as the dimensions of a square or rectangle. "A solid shape has height, width, and depth. Solid shapes are called 3-D." An excellent addition to the classroom and home, Shape is a fun book to introduce shapes by using everyday imagery and inclusive text. Reviewer: Erika Clark

David Goodman and Zoe Miller, partners in the design firm Silence, have created designs featured in international trend publications. They are renowned for helping clients explore and visualize their ideas. They designed two previous Tate children’s books: Color and A Is for Artist.