The Children’s Book Review | July 17, 2016
Round
Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
Age Range: 4-7 years
Hardcover Book: 32 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2017)
ISBN: 978-0-544-38761-4
What to Expect: Circular objects, seasons, nature, deeper meanings
Award-winner Joyce Sidman is at it again with her latest book about circular objects that are found all around us in nature. Round may seem an ordinary book about round shapes for tiny youngsters, but it is really an extraordinary book about growth, movement, and harmony for grade-schoolers.
Readers are taken on a nature adventure as a little girl discovers round objects in all four seasons. Round objects have texture like an orange. They represent dreams as you wish upon a star. They represent inclusiveness as one forms a close circle of friends. They even hold secrets like the rings of a tree.
Taeeun Yoo uses appropriate color schemes to represent each of the seasons and uses several double page spreads to illustrate the entire scene in which these objects are found. Though they are never named in the text, Sidman’s metaphors and deep meanings bring life to the story especially with her visual verbs that compliment Yoo’s work perfectly.
Lastly, the book ends with a note on more detailed explanations of the individual objects. Overall, this is a fun read for children and can certainly be used in the classroom as a great supplement for a lesson on imagery and symbols.
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About Joyce Sidman
The Newbery Honor winner Joyce Sidman is today’s foremost nature poet for children. Accolades for her books include two Caldecott Honors, a Lee Bennet Hopkins Award, winner of the Claudia Lews Award, and many stars and best of lists. For her award-winning body of work, she won the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota. Visit www.joycesidman.com
About Taeeun Yoo
Taeeun Yoo received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts Illustration as Visual Essay program. Her first picture book, The Little Red Fish, (Dial Books, 2007), was awarded the Society of Illustrators’ 2007 Founders Award. She has received The New York Times Best Illustrated Book award twice with Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee(Feiwel&Friends, 2009) and Here Is the Baby by Polly Kanevsky(Schwartz&Wade, 2014). She has also illustrated the reissue of Madeleine L’Engle’s renowned series, The Time Quintet and The Austin Chronicles (Square Fish / Macmillan, 2007, 2008). A U.S. citizen, Ms. Yoo currently lives abroad in Korea. Visit her at http://www.taeeunyoo.com/.
Round, written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo, was reviewed by Anna C. Iacovetta, Ph.D.. Discover more books like Round by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Changing Seasons Books, Joyce Sidman, Nature, Shape Books, and Taeeun Yoo.
