Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: We are shapes by Melinda Beck

 I rarely review board books from electronic galleys, since it's very difficult to get an idea of their size, layout, and structure, but I was intrigued enough by this title that I thought it was worth reviewing.

Cheerful blue backgrounds introduce a few simple shapes - a square, rectangle, circle, and triangle, and then a few unidentified squiggles. Each one has a cheerfully smiling face, created by additional shapes on the shape - the square is white with polka dots, two green dots for eyes, a textured red square nose, and blue half circle mouth. The rectangle looks like a small red brick wall, the triangle like a piece of green-painted wood.

Laughing circles roll across a long, twirling line, which turns out to be arms juggling the whole group of shapes. They stack themselves on the triangle, the circle, and the squiggle, but tumble and fall each time. The narrator encourages them to keep trying, and this time they all come together to create a snug house, with a sun, cloud, and squiggly-armed creature inside. "We are shapes, and together we are a home."

The description says the book is 7x5 inches and it looks like a vertical rectangle. Phaidon normally makes art books and I've found their titles to be interesting, but not really directed at infants and toddlers, but I think this one really works well for the age it's intended for. There are smiling "faces" on the shapes, lots of different shapes to identify, but also the art is simple and not too busy.

Verdict: This would work great in a shapes-themed storytime, especially if you have blocks and toys to go along with it so they can try their own stacking. 2-D cardboard pieces would be a fun option too, which could be turned into a picture.

ISBN: 9781838664749; Published April 2022 by Phaidon; Egalley provided by publisher; Added to order list