THE SHAPE SONG SWINGALONG

The catchy shape song that many will recognize from PBS Kids gets some new verses and some brilliantly colored artwork in this collaboration from SteveSongs and Sim.

Bouncy rhythms and rhymes are sure to get kids singing, and their fingers will itch to draw: “I drew boats out on the water, / I drew a castle on the sand, / I drew a beachside waterslide, / Oh, what a ride! / And I never even had to stand / in line, line, circle, circle, / square, square, square, square, / triangle, triangle…” The premise is that most artwork starts with basic shapes: line, circle, square and triangle. Armed with these four shapes, the things that kids can draw are countless. Sim nicely demonstrates this in his double-page spreads. His busy scenes are full of the four featured shapes, naturally drawing readers’ eyes to them by their placement and color. But he includes other shapes as well: rectangles, ovals and semicircles. As in the PBS Kids video, the illustrations include four multiethnic kids, but here one of them wears a leg brace as well. Quirky, blocky animals that incorporate at least one of the shapes in their body and/or body language also populate Sim’s world. An enhanced CD (not seen) with the song and video is included.

Break out the crayons and markers, and put on some dancing shoes—this is sure to inspire on many levels.