The Shape of My Heart
Sperring eschews the typical strategies of concept books about shapes with an opening spread featuring two people’s bodies (blank except for matching hearts) created from the negative space of geometric objects: This is the shape that we are. The shape of you and me. Simple rhyming text proceeds from there: This is the shape of the sun, / coming up to brighten our day. / And these are the shapes that chirp and tweet . . . / and flitter-flutter away. Nope, there’s ne’er a rectangle or oval mentioned. Instead, Paterson uses brightly colored cut-paper collage-style illustrations to urge viewers to take a fresh look at everyday objects. To some extent, the book is organized around senses. For example, a spread about the shape of our mouths is followed by objects that are cold or hot, savory or sweet. But mostly the organization is scattered, except in how it returns to the heart shape that began the book. Though this offering’s overall purpose is muddy, it remains an intriguing combination of poetic wondering and point-and-name-the-object prompts. Preschool-Grade 1. --Patricia Austin