Shape Shift

This is a fabulous book for parents to introduce their children to how shapes create everything around us! As an art teacher, I use this book to introduce my Pre-K and Kindergarten to observing objects and finding shapes we can use to draw them. There are some fabulous YouTube videos of the author putting shapes together and drawing various things around them to create different pictures. This a must have for budding artists and creative minds!

I used this book to introduce the concept of Composite Shapes. It is an interactive book that allows students to be engaged and be part of the story. Great piece of Math literature.

Just what I wanted!

This inventive book introduces nine classic shapes (triangle, semicircle, crescent, trapezoid, rectangle, circle, oval, diamond, square) and encourages readers to use their imagination to see everyday objects when the shapes are combined. For example, when a boy and girl place a triangle on top of a semicircle, the girl sees a ballerina leaping through the air while a boy sees an elephant being lifted into the sky by a bunch of balloons. The final double-page spread features additional combinations challenging readers, “What do you see?” creating a perfect prompt for play-based learning.This book not only teaches shapes, but also celebrates imagination and creativity. As an extra bonus it demonstrates point of view, reminding children that there is not always a right or wrong answer. This helps encourage children to take risks without worrying they might make a mistake.

Shape Shift by Joyce Hesselberth.Published by Henry Holt and CompanySummary: A boy and a girl introduce nine shapes: triangle, semicircle, crescent, trapezoid, rectangle, circle, oval, diamond, and square. Then they start putting the shapes together to see what they look like. A triangle on top of a semicircle can look like a ballerina or an elephant with a thousand balloons on his back. A crescent on top of a trapezoid? A bull ready to charge or a fish jumping in the sea. The final two pages show twelve shape combinations and ask readers what they see. 32 pages; ages 2-6.Pros: A fun introduction to shapes that will have kids looking for geometry in their everyday lives.Cons: According to other reviews, the author has created two apps to explore shapes and colors, but they’re not mentioned anywhere in the book.

This book starts off with a chart of the shapes that you can expect to see throughout the book. Then, two children play a game to see what happens when you put two shapes together- what does it look like? For example, "I have a triangle. I have a semicircle. Let's put our shapes together and see what we can make! Tap, tap, tap. I see a ballerina, twirling, spinning, gliding, floating across the stage". The children continue, going back and forth creating people, animals, and objects from simple geometric shapes.I love that this book combines a great exercise in imagination with text that reads as poetry. At the end of the book, there are a dozen shape combinations with the challenge to create your own. Younger children can use this as a lesson on shape identification (For example: "How many circles do you see? Where are the triangles?") and older children can take the suggested combinations and imagine what they could be. Five stars for the poetic words, educational component, and the geometric illustrations that match perfectly with the text.

As a mother of two (ages 3 and 5) as well as former educator, I appreciate that this book has a very educational quality to it. It introduces the shapes and then models how the shapes can be combined together to create other images. I also liked that the last spread of the book had several shape combinations and asks the reader to imagine what they see. My children easily came up with some accompanying forms, so the lesson from the book was obtained and applied immediately. Although it is not one of those read-every-night and become a childhood-favorite type books, it would make a perfect introduction to a combined lesson on art and geometry. I would say the target audience is preschool age-possibly grade 2.This book was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

This fun, educational book features two children (and their dog) putting together shapes and imagining what the shapes form. For example, they put together a trapezoid and a crescent and see a bull with horns or a fish jumping into the sea. The book starts with an index of simple shapes. Great for toddlers, preschoolers, and up -- roughly age 2-6 would like this book. My son asks for it by shouting "Shape Shift!" when he sees this book.

Ok... there are some shapes in here but not that engaging for my nearly 3 year old. I’m going to look for better shape books.

Very good, a bit different from the usual kids books. And her apps are the best I've found for my kids, educational but also really fun! The book is a good introduction to the apps but it stands alone too.

Great book!

Great math read aloud