Circle, Triangle, Elephant — Kenji Oikawa

A clever and refreshing approach to learning about shapes, with a bit of silliness mixed in

This unexpected take on shapes offers a breath of fresh air within this well-established toddler concept genre. With bright block-art visuals and a rhythmic, read-aloud text, this book begins by offering familiar shapes - a triangle, a circle, and a square - and then throws an elephant into the equation: triangle, elephant, circle. Surely an elephant doesn't belong in a book on shapes... or does it? The joy of the unexpected, including guest appearances by boats, lemons, and other random but recognizable silhouettes, in a shape-driven narrative will prompt giggles and squeals, as children build skills of labelling and classifying.