City Shapes - Hardcover

Murray, Diana

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316370924 ISBN 13: 9780316370929

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016

Synopsis

Hunt for shapes of all kinds on this journey through a bustling city, illustrated by four-time Caldecott Honoree Bryan Collier!

From shimmering skyscrapers to fluttering kites to twinkling stars high in the sky, everyday scenes become extraordinary as a young girl walks through her neighborhood noticing exciting new shapes at every turn. Far more than a simple concept book, City Shapes is an explosion of life. Diana Murray's richly crafted yet playful verse encourages readers to discover shapes in the most surprising places, and Bryan Collier's dynamic collages add even more layers to each scene in this ode to city living.

About this title

About the Author:

Diana Murray writes stories and poems for children. She is the author of Grimelda, The Very Messy Witch, Ned the Knitting Pirate and several other picture books. Her poems have appeared in many magazines, including Highlights for Children and Spider. She grew up in New York City and still lives nearby with her firefighter husband, two children, a goldfish, and a bearded dragon.  
Bryan Collier has illustrated more than twenty-five picture books, including the award-winning Dave the Potter, Knock Knock, and Fifty Cents and a Dream, and has received numerous awards, including three Caldecott Honors and five Coretta Scott King Awards. He lives with his wife and children in Marlboro, New York.

From School Library Journal:

PreS-Gr 2—Readers are encouraged to view the city as a kaleidoscope of shape and color in this rhyming tour provided by a young girl on the sidewalk and a pigeon soaring above. Elements of urban life, including a mail truck, a pretzel cart, skyscrapers, park benches, street vendors, taxis, the subway, and a street performer, also reveal seven basic shapes. "And nearby, the kites seem to dance in the sky./Some SHAPES in the city are.../DIAMONDS that fly." Youngsters will eagerly identify squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, ovals, diamonds, and stars in the busy spreads as well as complete each rhyme to reveal the targeted shape. As night and stars appear in the sky, "the pigeon flies back through the night cityscape/as city lights sparkle, SHAPE after SHAPE./But her heart starts to ache for the SHAPE/she loves best./The SHAPE that is home—/her warm CIRCLE nest...." Collier's rich watercolor and collage spreads feature a child (his four-year-old daughter) as tour guide, smiling and waving us along. The endpapers offer a 3-D geometric world of colorful buildings. Children will enjoy studying the illustrations to identify the various shapes as well as the scattered collage photos of greenery, people, buildings, and cars. VERDICT A colorful look at city life as well as a fun way to teach shapes to young children.—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0316370924
• ISBN 13: 9780316370929
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Collier Bryan