Product Description

Originally published 40 years ago, this book uses vivid illustrations and simple rhyming text by a noted author/illustrator to introduce the concept of shapes and sizes to curious young readers as he suggests how they can view the world in a new and exciting way. Full-color illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #254476 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
A pair of reissued books makes available the launches of two significant careers. The Wing on a Flea: A Book About Shapes, Ed Emberley's first book, published in 1961, makes an affable companion to his playful yet instructive series of drawing books. His breezy, rhyming text and cheerful visuals invite kids to explore the concept of shapes. More subtly, aspiring artists can follow Emberley's example of using basic shapes to create more complex pictures. Black pages effectively show off the bold, primary colors and shiny, gold leaf accents of the deceptively simple pictures.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
reS-K-A newly illustrated version of a 1961 edition. A rhyming text points out some of the places in which basic geometric shapes can be found in life situations. For example, "A circle could be a little green pea,/or eyes in the dark, if you'll just look and see." Although circles, triangles, and rectangles are addressed separately in the text, most of the illustrations are composed of a combination of these shapes. The train with circular wheels pulls a rectangular circus wagon flying triangular flags, etc. The shapes are illustrated with flat, solid colors on a black background, giving a childlike, cheerful appearance appropriate for introducing the concept. Readers who have developed affection for the whimsical, humorous line drawings found in the original may be disconcerted by the new style. However, libraries that do not have the older edition and those looking for a simple, straightforward approach to basic shapes will find this one an attractive option.

Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Ed Emberley is the creator of the Ed Emberley Drawing Book series as well as the classic Go Away, Big Green Monster! He lives with his wife, Barbara, in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Exceptional book about shapes!
This book has bold, eye-catching pictures and wonderful rhyming text. I read this to a preschool class and they loved it. It can serve as an intro or review of shapes and also as a way to show how to put simple shapes together to make more complex pictures. At the end, there's a section that emphasizes how to put shapes together to make a picture, such as a clown.