What Is a Triangle?

School Library Journal

PreS-Like its companions, What Is Round and What Is Square (both HarperCollins, 1999), this book features a rhyming text ac-companied by colorful photos of common objects set against bright backgrounds. The roof of a house made with blocks, a wedge of cheese, and a toy boat's sail are clear examples of triangles for toddlers. Issues arise, though, when pizza slices with curved edges, a birthday hat, and an ice-cream cone are also presented as triangles. While all of these shapes can be considered "triangular," they are not, in fact, triangles. Young children who learn to call them all triangles will have some unlearning to do when they begin to study geometry. Better to give them blocks to hold as they learn the names of shapes than a book that is not mathematically sound.-Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Young children discover triangles in the unlikeliest places in this latest addition to Dotlich's shape book series (What is Round, What is Square, 1999, etc.). Short, playful verses list the multitude of everyday objects that are shaped like a triangle. "A bright folded napkin, / a teddy bear's nose, / the part of a hanger that wears your clothes." Dotlich focuses on familiar, kid-pleasing items, from pizza slices to paper planes. Effectively combining the obvious with the subtle, such as pairing a block with a tree or a sail with a segmented kite, she simultaneously introduces the basic shape for beginners while expanding the concept of triangles for older learners. Ferrari's vibrant photographs feature clean compositions, clearly focusing on the items mentioned in the accompanying verse. The full-bleed, painted backgrounds, ranging from bright fuchsia to lime green, form a vivid backdrop for the photos, with visible brush strokes in the paintings adding some texture to the pages. The final two-page spread offers readers an opportunity to test their skills and locate the triangles among the buttons, balls, blocks, and a myriad of other small objects scattered across the pages. Once again, Dotlich and Ferrari make learning about shapes a colorful, fun experience for the littlest reader. (Picture book. 2-6)