Sea Shapes

by Suse MacDonald

Overview

This engaging concept book invites very young children to identify basic shapes that transform into beautiful undersea creatures. Includes an informative glossary of sea facts.

"Delectable viewing pleasure."--The Horn Book
"Elegantly conjures up an undersea world in which a square evolves into a skate while hexagons combine to make a turtle's shell."--Newsweek

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544538702
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/10/2015
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Suse MacDonald published her first book, Alphabatics, in 1986. It won a Caldecott Honor in 1987. Macdonald is also the writer and illustrater of Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash!: Counting Round and Round, Alphabet Animals: A Slide and Peek Adventure, and Dino Shapes.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-K-Familiar shapes such as circles, triangles, and stars are introduced through various sea creatures. On the verso of each double-page spread, the name of the shape is printed in clear letters; underneath it are four pictures that show a transition from the shape simply drawn to its counterpart on the animal. For example, a circle becomes the eye of a whale, a star becomes a starfish, and a triangle becomes a shark's tooth. On the recto is a sea scene that shows the animal in its habitat. The illustrations are bright and nicely composed. Done in cut-paper collage, they have clean lines and simple details, giving an uncluttered effect. However, some shapes are not readily apparent in the animals. The square turns into a skate with curved sides and a long tail. The heart must add a tail and fins to become a butterfly fish. Three pages of ``Sea Facts'' at the end of the book identify the animals and provide a little information about where and how they live. This title has limited value as a concept book, but young children will enjoy the attractive illustrations and learning about underwater life.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

Each double-page spread is devoted to a different shape. On each left-hand page, a sequence of simple pictures shows a basic shape evolving into the shape of a marine animal. The opposite page pictures the animal in the sea. The brightly colored paper collages make it easy to follow along as the sea animal develops. The shapes chosen go beyond the ordinary to include, for example, a fan shape, a diamond, a crescent, and a hexagon. MacDonald uses the three final pages to present some information about each animal. If adults read those pages in advance, they'll be able to add interesting details to discussion of the pictures.

Mary Harris Veeder