Charise Mericle Harper

Silliness ensues as a simple shape morphs into all sorts of possibilities to meet an expectation the characters can't even define themselves.

An unseen narrator begins the read with one, simple sentence on one page and a very simple shape on the next. While it might first appear to be a boring, gray bump, the entire book mountains with imaginative possibilities from there. Using the the shape, the narrator forms a cat, a horse, and a skateboard, which seems nice, but the horse wants a bicycle...sounds like a somewhat-doable task until misunderstandings and more lead into all sorts of unexpected directions. There's tons of wit, plenty imagination, and a ridiculous back and forth which promises more than a couple giggles and smiles.

Everything about this read steers toward the younger audience level. The text is simple, uses a large font, and stays concise, making it great even for beginner readers to start following along or as a read aloud in group settings. The illustrations concentrate on the two characters and whatever item is drawn at that moment. This helps readers to easily identify the shape's use in various ways and forms, and demonstrates how something so basic can be expanded into so much more. This also can lead to art/craft projects and does help exercise the imagination and creativity in a very enjoyable way.

It's a fun book with clever twists, builds creative skills, and will have listeners laughing, too. I received a complimentary copy and smiled the entire way through.… (more)