by Joyce Sidman (Author) Taeeun Yoo (Illustrator)
If you look closely, you will find that the world is bursting, swelling, budding, and ripening with round things awaiting discovery--like eggs about to hatch, sunflowers stretching toward the sun, or planets slowly spinning together for billions of years.
Whimsical and imaginative, this poetic ode to all that is round and full of wonder by the Newbery Honor-winning author and poet Joyce Sidman, with illustrations by the two-time New York Best Illustrated Book award recipient Taeeun Yoo, inspires curiosity and wonder for this (round) little earth we call home.
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Having celebrated spiral shapes found in nature in Swirl by Swirl, Sidman offers a lovely contemplation of all things circular as Yoo (Strictly No Elephants) follows a child and her father through fields, to the shore, and beyond while they investigate the outside world. Writing in first person, Sidman begins with things that are innately, observably round--oranges that hang heavily from tree branches, seeds the girl scatters into a hole, a turtle's nest of eggs. From there, she explains that some circular things "swell into roundness" (a cluster of red-capped mushrooms), are wondrously ephemeral (ripples, bubbles), or acquire their form over years, if not centuries. "Some are a different shape/ to begin with,/ but slowly, over time,/ all the sharp edges wear off," she writes, while Yoo shows father and daughter paddling past weathered rocks in a small boat. Yoo's mixed-media scenes feature bold, saturated colors and crayonlike textures, and they always highlight the girl's curiosity. Closing notes offer additional fascinating insight into what makes round shapes so remarkable. A round of applause for this one. Ages 4-7. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Mar.)
Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.PreS-K—Sidman delivers a captivating homage to the many round things found in nature and in the world around us. Told in the voice and sensibility of a young child, the simple text follows a girl as she comes across round objects, feels their smoothness, and wraps her fingers around their curves. Some she appreciates from afar (turtle eggs and sunflowers), watching how they roll, spin, or bounce. Some of the objects are in plain sight, and others are hidden and require close inspection. Many of the examples are surprising and delightful. For instance, rain splats and leaves circular ripples behind and round lily pads and turtle shells appear for observant viewers to notice. In fact, much of Yoo's appealing artwork, done in mixed media with printed texture, is rounded and in soft focus. Sidman's examples stretch from the fleeting (bubbles) to the enduring (a full moon) to the personal ("I can be round too...in a circle of friends with no one left out."). It's amazing how one square little book can hold such a wealth of roundness. VERDICT A lovely read-aloud to share in a story circle or in preparation for a nature walk and a perfect choice to curl up with one-on-one.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.