Circle Under Berry - by Carter Higgins (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It's a puzzle. It's a read-aloud. It's a Rubik's cube on paper. This striking, delightfully different exploration of shape, color, and patterns redefines what a picture book can be. Read it once, read it ten times; see something new every time. An elegant and simple approach to explorations of profound depth, this enigmatic, thought-provoking concept book shows young readers that everything in the world can be seen from infinite perspectives"--

Book Synopsis

Part Sandra Boynton, part Each Peach Pear Plum; part Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, part Hippopposites--a treat for the brain and the tongue.

With an elegant and simple approach, this thought-provoking concept book shows young readers that everything in the world can be seen from infinite perspectives.

Each page compares colors, shapes, and objects in relation to each other. A triangle that is over a square is also under a circle. A circle that is pink also might be a flower.

The artful, playful combinations of simple concepts and Higgins's rhythmic writing and expert arrangement of objects on the page make this book a perfect read-aloud, capable of entertaining, educating, and challenging readers in equal measure.

There are multiple ways to read the book, allowing it to work for several ages and reading levels at once. The educational value and sheer fun packed into this book's language and visual design will make it a huge hit with educators and librarians, new parents, and creative kids who are visual learners.

This striking, delightfully different exploration of shape, color, and patterns redefines what a picture book can be. Read it once, read it ten times. See something new every time.

A GREAT INTRODUCTION TO MANY DIFFERENT CONCEPTS: This book's focus on color, shapes, objects, and relative words like "over," "under," and "next to" make this the perfect introduction to basic concepts of all kinds. Rather than traditional concept books that focus on only one idea, this book combines its teaching approach, helping young readers learn more than one concept at once by showing how they relate to each other.

A DYNAMIC LEARNING EXPERIENCE: The unusual combination of colors, shapes, and animals intelligently introduces young readers to patterns, classification, and problem-solving. The imaginative language of this book, rich with rhythmic phrasing and a tongue twister-like playfulness, creates a soothing read-aloud text that engages young children with questions and encourages audience participation.

PERFECT FOR ANY KIND OF EDUCATION: With a variety of concepts, clear read-aloud qualities, and the many different ways this book engages different styles of learning, this book is ideal for librarians, educators, and anyone creating reading events in their communities.

BELOVED AUTHOR: Carter Higgins is not only the author of many acclaimed books for children such as Everything You Need to Build a Treehouse, This Is Not a Valentine, and Bikes for Sale, she's also a seasoned school librarian who's spent many years working with children. Her love of kids--and her passion for teaching--shines throughout this book.

EASY ART PROJECT INSPIRATION: Having honed her art skills as an elementary librarian, Carter Higgins makes her own debut as an illustrator for this book with simple, appealing collages. Kids will love making their own art projects inspired by the illustrations in this book.

BRIGHT, EYE-CATCHING ART: The simple shapes and lively colors are designed to appeal to young children. Read this if your children enjoy Hervé Tullet's Press Here or Bill Martin Jr.'s Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

Perfect for:

- Parents
- Grandparents
- Educators
- Gift-givers

Review Quotes

"[S]parkling and ingenious . . . will become a nursery staple. . . . [Circle Under Berry] positively tingles."-The Wall Street Journal

"[Circle Under Berry]opens the door for children to engage with color, geometry, and prepositions, too, just for good measure. And how could they resist, with a rhythmic text that makes use of such lush language; why look for yellow, green, and pink when you could find goldenrod, emerald, and magenta? A triumph of design and a beacon of possibility."-The Horn Book Magazine

"[A] striking exploration of shapes, colors, and patterns . . . The artwork is particularly distinctive, comprised of brightly hued, stylized shapes and objects created from cut-and-collaged, hand-painted papers digitally assembled on white backgrounds. . . . [Circle Under Berry is] an appealing choice for emerging readers [and] the emphasis on prepositions will aid English language learners as well."--Booklist Reviews

"Using hand-painted paper to create brilliantly hued, shape-based forms that appear against a clean white backdrop, Higgins (Bikes for Sale) economically examines ways to observe color, shape, pattern, and position. . . . [D]rawing readers' attention while achieving real grace as the items resolve into origami-like forms. . . Higgins offers seeds of conversations about naming and classification."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[V]isually striking. . . carefully assembled. . . [and] inspired by an Eric Carle aesthetic. . . [Circle Under Berry] possesses a pleasing rhythm and subtle rhymes, positively begging to be read aloud: 'circle next to berry / square by bear by sweet // blue up high / pig down low / yellow in between.' Satisfying, engaging, and sure to entertain the toddlers at whom it is aimed."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

About the Author

Carter Higgins is the author of many books for kids, such as Everything You Need for a Treehouse, Bikes for Sale, and Audrey L & Audrey W: Best Friends-ish. She is an Emmy-winning visual effects and motion graphics artist and spent a decade as a school librarian. This is her first illustrated book. She lives in Los Angeles, but you can always find her on Twitter and Instagram @carterhiggins.