Most kids learn about the world first through colors and shapes. If your kids are still figuring out what different shapes look like and how o identify them in their daily lives, you’ll appreciate these picture books about shapes. Find the circle in tortillas and see the many shapes of Paris, animals, and day-to-day objects as you explore these picks.
Educational and Entertaining Picture Books About Shapes
Here are 30 wonderful picture books about shapes:
This Is a Book of Shapes
Published: September 8, 2020
First comes the circle. Then the square and the triangle. Then the . . . emu pushing a pancake wagon down a hill? What begins as a concept book about everyone’s geometric favorites soon defies expectations with a series of funny and imaginative twists. Award-winning author-illustrator Kenneth Kraegel pairs a deadpan text with simple wood-grained shapes, interspersed with vibrant illustrations of animals engaged in hilariously absurd pastimes. Each page turn builds on the delicious anticipation the contrast creates to make this a unique and rollicking story-time hit.
Friendshape
Published: August 25, 2015
Friends shape who we are. They make us laugh. They fill us with fun. They stand by us during life’s up and downs. And even when we disagree with our friends, if they’re tried-and-true, they don’t stay bent out of shape for long. That’s the beauty of a good buddy. This joyous book rejoices in the simple beauties of friendship, and reminds readers of all ages that it’s good to have a group of pals.
Circle, Square, Moose
Published: September 23, 2014
This hilarious book manages to illustrate a fact or two about shapes while providing a three-dimensional stomping ground for best friends Moose and Zebra. What will happen? Who will save the day? It’s all up in the air until the final page, where Moose and Zebra (and Cat, too) create a perfect—and perfectly heartwarming—ending. This stand-alone companion to Z Is for Moose features a multilayered story told through text, asides, conversation bubbles, and pictures. Themes of friendship, exploration, and conflict resolution—and of course the concept of shapes, including the shape of a book—make this an ideal read-aloud for the elementary school classroom and for home!
Blue Chameleon
Published: January 1, 2010
He can turn himself into anything and appear to fit in anywhere, but it seems that neither the swirly snail, the green grasshopper nor the stripy sock want to be friends. Will he ever find someone to talk to? Someone just like him?
Triangle
Published: March 14, 2017
Meet Triangle. He is going to play a sneaky trick on his friend, Square. Or so Triangle thinks. . . . With this first tale in a new trilogy, partners in crime Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen will have readers wondering just who they can trust in a richly imagined world of shapes. Visually stunning and full of wry humor, here is a perfectly paced treat that could come only from the minds of two of today’s most irreverent — and talented — picture book creators.
Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes
Published: March 19, 2013
In this lively picture book, children discover a world of shapes all around them: rectangles are ice-cream carts and stone metates, triangles are slices of watermelon and quesadillas. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin, and all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this playful concept book will reinforce the shapes found in every child’s day!
City Shapes
Published: June 21, 2016
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.
My Shape is Sam
Published: September 17, 2019
Circles were smooth and round. Good at rolling, spinning, and pushing. They all turned together to make things go.
Squares were sturdy and even. Good at stacking, steadying, and measuring. They all fit together to make things stay.
In a world where everybody is a shape and every shape has a specific job, Sam is a square who longs for softer corners, rounder edges, and the ability to roll like a circle. But everyone knows that squares don’t roll, they stack. At least that’s what everyone thinks until the day Sam takes a tumble and discovers something wonderful. He doesn’t have to be what others want or expect him to be.
Paris: A Book of Shapes
Published: October 20, 2015
Paris is a treasure trove of fascinating shapes: there are triangles at the Louvre Museum, rectangles at Notre-Dame Cathedral, arches at the Arc de Triomphe, and stars in a beautiful Parisian night sky. Explore shapes all over Paris in this gorgeous board book!
Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes
Published: August 21, 2001
Captain Invicible and the Space Shapes is perfect for teaching 3-dimensional shapes to first, second, and third graders. Captain Invincible and his space-dog, Comet, are on a perilous journey back to Earth! Throughout their mission, the fearless captain and his canine sidekick encounter asteroids, poisonous gas, and alien beings. But will their knowledge of three-dimensional shapes, including cubes, cones, and pyramids, help our heroes navigate past these obstacles—and make it safely home?
Kids will love the story and the illustrations by Remy Simard. Parents and educators will love how the story and pictures make understanding the math concepts a breeze—as well as the concrete examples of how math works. The book contains activities for adults to do with kids to extend math into their own lives. Math = Fun!
Square Cat
Published: January 4, 2011
Eula is the only square cat in town. Everything that normal cats do is hard for her — she can’t get her square paw into mouseholes, she can’t wear her favorite circle skirt, and all of her friends are round! Eula is sad until her two best friends show her just how well a square cat can fit into this round world.
Love, Triangle
Published: October 3, 2017
Ever since they were a dot and a speck, Circle and Square have been best friends…. Then someone new comes along: a cool, exciting Triangle. And three starts to feel like a crowd. . . .
With their friendship bent out of shape, can they put it back together again?
A Trapezoid Is Not s Dinosaur
Published: November 5, 2019
Shape up, shapes! Triangle is hosting auditions for all the best shapes to be in his play. Circle, Square, and Star each get a part. But Trapezoid just doesn’t “fit in.” Is he even a shape? The others think he sounds like a type of dinosaur. Determined to show off his usefulness, Trapezoid tries to act like the other shapes, to no avail. Eventually, though, Trapezoid celebrates his own distinct shape properties in order to become part of the performance.
The Shape of My Heart
Published: January 17, 2013
The world is filled with shapes.
A bird, a car, the stars in the sky – what shapes can you see?
Children will love spotting familiar shapes on every page. With bright illustrations and a heartwarming message about the shape of something very special – love.
The Shape of the World
Published: September 5, 2017
When Frank Lloyd Wright was a baby, his mother dreamed that he would become a great architect. She gave him blocks to play with and he learned that shapes are made up of many other shapes. As he grew up, he loved finding shapes in nature. Wright went on to study architecture and create buildings that were one with the natural world around them. He became known as one of the greatest American architects of all time.
Mail Duck: A Book of Shapes and Surprises
Published: April 21, 2020
Mail Duck is delivering differently shaped packages to all his friends on his mail route. (Trudy likes triangles, and Harry likes hearts!) Lift the flaps to peek inside and guess what each friend received. Then head back to the post office for a big surprise: a thank-you celebration for Mail Duck planned by all his pals using the various packages they received throughout the story! Sixteen flaps and a final double-gatefold spread give readers plenty of sweet and silly details to unpack in this charming board book.
Elliot the Heart-Shaped Frog
Published: January 26, 2021
When Elliot decides it’s time to leave the pond, he has to find a new home!
Children will love to follow along on a Goldilocks-like journey as Elliot searches for the perfect place to rest. This adorable book about shapes and colors is sure to delight!
All Shapes Matter
Published: September 17, 2018
All Shapes Matter is a story about five shapes – triangles, rectangles, squares, octagons and circles. The shapes spend their first day at elementary school learning a lot about each other and having fun. However, during recess, some of the shapes come across a problem they are unable to fix by themselves. The unfamiliar shapes who were initially shunned for being different end up coming to their aid. The shapes learn a valuable lesson that their differences can sometimes be more important than their similarities. They realize that there is value in diversity and that ‘All Shapes Matter’, no matter how similar or different they are.
Circle! Sphere!
Published: October 13, 2020
Manny and his friends Olivia and Mei blow bubbles in this playful introduction to geometry. Manny’s wand is a circle. Olivia’s wand is a square. Mei’s wand is a heart. What shape will their bubbles be? (Surprise! They’re all spheres.)
Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.
Which One Doesn’t Belong?: Playing With Shapes
Published: February 12, 2019
Written by a celebrated math educator, this innovative inquiry encourages critical thinking and sparks memorable mathematical conversations. Children and their parents answer the same question about each set of four shapes: “Which one doesn’t belong?” There’s no one right answer–the important thing is to have a reason why. Kids might describe the shapes as squished, smooshed, dented, or even goofy. But when they justify their thinking, they’re talking math! Winner of the Mathical Book Prize for books that inspire children to see math all around them.
Circle Rolls
Published: May 4, 2018
When Circle rolls into one of Triangle’s points and pops, chaos momentarily ensues until Octagon’s “Stop!” brings everyone to their senses. An effortlessly rhyming text introduces us to a collection of shapes and subtly weaves their physical characteristics into traits that both lead to and solve a would-be catastrophe. Master illustrator Serge Bloch’s shapes are accompanied by a chorus of miniature people who play along, creating the perfect complement to Barbara Kanninen’s economy of words. Worthy of comparison to Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece, this raucous chain of events is satisfyingly cyclical, ending just exactly where it began.
Shapes
Published: January 10, 2017
Applying the tactile features of Montessori teaching, this innovative board book uses lightly grained sandpaper tracks to encourage children to trace various shapes as they enjoy whimsical illustrations of each. Shapes introduced include; squares, diamonds, ovals, rectangles, hearts, hexagons, diamonds, trapezoids, octagons and stars. Sturdy board pages and no moveable parts make this a unique addition to an early learning collection.
Pitter Pattern
Published: February 11, 2020
Pitter, pitter, pat! Pitter, pitter, pat! Hey, it’s a pitter, pitter, pattern!
Lu and her friends love spotting patterns in their daily activities. Lu learns that patterns can be found at soccer practice, during her piano lessons, in dance class, at snack time, and even at the park! How many patterns can you spot as Lu goes about her week?
Animal Shapes
Published: March 27, 2018
When a cozy cat meets a circle, they make a . . .
Purrrrrcle
In this delightful board book with striking images, Christopher Silas Neal combines animals and shapes to form a unique, inventive objective. Children will have endless fun guessing what brand-new, made-up animal will appear next! This book will have kids playing and guessing with each reread!
Squares, Rectangles, and Other Quadrilaterals
Published: December 24, 2018
Comical cats and dogs guide kids through the essential characteristics of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhomboids, and other quadrilaterals. Angles and degrees are explained in words and useful visuals. Kids will get a handle on geometric vocabulary and can try out plenty of hands-on activities that will help reinforce the concepts. A glossary is included.
Tangled: A Story About Shapes
Published: June 25, 2019
One day a little circle,
just as happy as could be,
got caught inside a jungle gym,
and couldn’t wiggle free.
When the neighborhood shapes go climbing on the park jungle gym the last thing they expect is a tangle. First the circle, next the triangle and then the square. One by one soon all sixteen shapes are trapped. They push and pull and tumble and cry for help. Who will save them? One special shape can set the others free. Can you guess which one it is? This charming story makes learning the names of sixteen shapes as easy as a day in the park.
Walter’s Wonderful Web
Published: August 16, 2016
A determined little spider named Walter is trying to make a sturdy web that will stand up to the blustery wind. The webs he makes at first are woven in special shapes–a triangle, a square, a circle–but they are still wibbly-wobbly. Can Walter make a web that is both wonderful and strong?
This simple, vibrant adventure is a lively companion to our two previous Tim Hopgood “first books”: Wow! Said the Owl, about colors; and Hooray for Hoppy!, about the five senses.
Shape by Shape
Published: June 23, 2009
What am I?
I lived a long, long time ago.
I had round eyes…
lots of sharp teeth…
Perfect Square
Published: March 29, 2011
In brilliant, innovative collage artwork, Michael Hall illustrates how a happy square transforms itself after facing one challenge after another. Cut into pieces and poked full of holes? Time to become a burbling fountain! Torn into scraps? Grow into a garden! Day after day, the square reinvents itself, from simple and perfect to complex and perfect . . . and always happy.
Mouse Shapes
Published: July 1, 2007
What can you make with one oval, two circles, and eight triangles? Just ask three clever mice–who even find a funny way to trick a sneaky cat.
Ellen Stoll Walsh once again proves that she’s a master of concept books in this celebration of shapes, color, and innovation.
There they are: 30 of the best picture books about shapes! Which of these books have you read and loved? What did I miss?
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