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4th out of 82 books
—
165 voters
Perfect Square
by
Michael Hall
A perfect square is transformed in this adventure story that will transport you far beyond the four equal sides of this square book.
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
March 29th 2011
by Greenwillow Books
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This is the sort of book the snobs much-hipper-than-me librarians will pass by at the Caldecott. Hell,I could give you a long long list of innovative, creative, KID FRIENDLY author/illustrators who are never at the most more than the bridesmaids at these things. And it's a pity, because this is just the sort of smart, creative, KID FRIENDLY sort of book that they SHOULD recognize.
A simple square. But if you tear it into triangles, and punch holes in the triangles, it can become a "fountain that...more
A simple square. But if you tear it into triangles, and punch holes in the triangles, it can become a "fountain that...more
Perfect Square is a fun and colorful picture book that takes readers on a shape-changing adventure. The shape begins as a simple, confined square and then throughout the week continues on a journey of rips, breaks, tears, and the building of different shapes/figures. It is a book that provides readers with a visual experience! It promotes both creativity and math (geometry). The colors are fun and eye-catching. The illustrations are creative, yet simple enough for a young child to comprehend. I...more
30 December 2010 PERFECT SQUARE by Michael Hall, Greenwillow, March 2011, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-06-191513-0
"I've got a square look I'll show you
I got four sides on me
All my sides are the same size
Like a good looking square should be"
-- Sesame Street, "It's Hip to be a Square"
"It was a perfect square. It had four matching corners and four equal sides. "And it was perfectly happy.
"But on Monday, the square was cut into pieces and poked full of holes. It wasn't a perfect square anymore.
"So it made i...more
"I've got a square look I'll show you
I got four sides on me
All my sides are the same size
Like a good looking square should be"
-- Sesame Street, "It's Hip to be a Square"
"It was a perfect square. It had four matching corners and four equal sides. "And it was perfectly happy.
"But on Monday, the square was cut into pieces and poked full of holes. It wasn't a perfect square anymore.
"So it made i...more
When I was young, I had a book about tangrams--a square-shaped puzzle consisting of seven shapes used to form various pictures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangram). Perfect Square totally reminded me of that book, and put a big smile on my face. It's the story of a perfect square that gets cut into pieces, poked full of holes, ripped to shreds, etc. and turns itself into something else with the pieces (a bubbling fountain, a mountain, a park, etc.). It's very cool to see what the square gets t...more
One perfect square is transformed again and again into something surprising and new. On Monday, the square had holes poked in it and was cut into pieces, so it became a fountain. On Tuesday, the square was torn into scraps, so it became a garden. Shredded strips became a park. Shattered shards became a bridge. Ribbons with curves became a river. Wrinkles and crumples became a mountain. Until finally, the square was just a square again and had to find a way to change within its four sides. The re...more
Graphic designers of the world, take heed: I am wary of your intentions. I mean it. You guys are, and I say this in the kindest way possible, strange. I don’t mind it when you take up large sections of MOMA with funky chairs. That is entirely your prerogative. No problemo. But when you start writing children’s books my hackles start to rise. I’ve little patience for books like The Graphic Alphabet which seem to have more fun entertaining mod tots’ parents than actual flesh and blood children. At...more
Ironically, this book came into my hands just as my daughter was dealing with issues of wanting everything she does to be perfect. I had already told her perfection is not possible unless she just accepts what she has and is now. I just smiled as I watched the "perfect" square change and change and make the best better. Love the concepts here. This could be used in school at many levels to teach theme.
One perfect square is transformed over and over into a variety of creative pictures: a fountain, a park, a garden, and a mountain to name just a few of the transformations.
I ran across this book on a recent blogger hop. It was my "find" of the day.
This simple, yet beautiful book offers readers glimpse at art and inspiration. It inspires creativity with just a few simple changes. Hall's brief text allows the illustrations to tell most of the story. I especially like how the square reinvents itse...more
I ran across this book on a recent blogger hop. It was my "find" of the day.
This simple, yet beautiful book offers readers glimpse at art and inspiration. It inspires creativity with just a few simple changes. Hall's brief text allows the illustrations to tell most of the story. I especially like how the square reinvents itse...more
Like that other book about sentient shapes, The Missing Piece, Perfect Square is more than meets the eye.
The square starts out as just that—a red, four cornered shape. However, in the following pages, it is cut into tiny pieces, ripped into strips, and painted a variety of colors. With each new challenge from the unseen force, the square creates something new—and beautiful.
Ok, clearly this is a metaphor for the ways forces out of our control can utterly change our constitution in life, but we al...more
The square starts out as just that—a red, four cornered shape. However, in the following pages, it is cut into tiny pieces, ripped into strips, and painted a variety of colors. With each new challenge from the unseen force, the square creates something new—and beautiful.
Ok, clearly this is a metaphor for the ways forces out of our control can utterly change our constitution in life, but we al...more
You'll love the imaginative side of this book. The story starts out with a perfect red square that changes each day of the week as it is cut, shredded, shattered and crumpled. This poses no problem for the square, no, it just changes itself into something else with the pieces it is left with. When the week is over and there is no more crumpling, the square changes itself into something, that I won't reveal. This last change brings the whole story alltogether.
A good craft would be to cut some sq...more
A good craft would be to cut some sq...more
I would choose this book to win the caldecott. I believe Hall did an excellent job tieng the illustrations and bright colors in with the book. A Perfect Square is a great book for creativity and inspiration. This book should be top on art and creative writing teachers list. The perfect sqaure is daily transformed into something different. On Monday, you have holes poked and stripped pieces to create a fountain. It was then torn in to scraps to become a garden. There was a bridge and a park forme...more
Another simple, lovely book from the author of My Heart is Like a Zoo. You could get really philosophical about this title. I like Elizabeth Bird's take:
"If there’s a lesson to be learned from Perfect Square it’s that some people are content to remain in their perfect little boring roles until outside forces show them what they’re worth. The square in this book isn’t about to turn into a mountain or a window without a little push, after all. That first time he finds himself cut into pieces and p...more
"If there’s a lesson to be learned from Perfect Square it’s that some people are content to remain in their perfect little boring roles until outside forces show them what they’re worth. The square in this book isn’t about to turn into a mountain or a window without a little push, after all. That first time he finds himself cut into pieces and p...more
This book is about a square that is shattered, ripped and snipped to create other shapes. The square is put through a lot of changes, but realizes that the best shape is a window. Teachers can used this book to show to students that shapes can make up other shapes. Also, they will be able to see that shapes are all around them. This book shows students that shapes can be put together to create another shape. With this information the students further their understanding to fractions. They can us...more
Perfect Square is (in my opinion) so much more than a simple children's book. Though it is marketed as a book for youngsters, many adults will appreciate the depth of the story. I suppose everyone will interpret it differently but I see it as a powerful story of a square who is torn apart over and over again, and instead of giving up or wallowing in sadness, the square chooses to create something beautiful out of the pieces. If people can look beyond the colorful pictures and short length, there...more
1. { Genre }: Concept
2. { Summary }: A perfect square is cut, shredded and torn into pieces to create objects and landscapes. On Tuesday, the square turned itself into a garden. On Wednesday, the square made itself into a park.
3a. { Area for comment }: Multifunctional
3b. { Critique }:
As much as I enjoyed the vibrant colors and abstract designs of The Perfect Square, I want to give credit to its more effective feature. The Perfect Square is multifunctional in the sense that it can teach more th...more
1 like · like · see review
Age: Toddler - Preschool
Shapes, Days of the week
A smooth flowing, brightly portrayed life of the square. At first happy with its life, the square is cut, torn, shredded, shattered, snipped, and wrinkled each day of the week. Each alteration, the square takes a new form to make a fountain, mountain, garden, etc. On Sunday, nothing happens and feeling confined by his perfect sides the square takes it upon himself to change.
This picture book for babies and toddlers encompasses many early literacy c...more
Shapes, Days of the week
A smooth flowing, brightly portrayed life of the square. At first happy with its life, the square is cut, torn, shredded, shattered, snipped, and wrinkled each day of the week. Each alteration, the square takes a new form to make a fountain, mountain, garden, etc. On Sunday, nothing happens and feeling confined by his perfect sides the square takes it upon himself to change.
This picture book for babies and toddlers encompasses many early literacy c...more
This book is a very fun, although it is an easy picture book, it has several math concepts that could be used in even a secondary math class.
This is a must for any library collection! It all starts with a perfectly perfect square, but day after day the square is cut and poked and torn and shattered so it has to transform itself into something new each time. This book works well on so many levels. The bold colors and easy text will attract little ones. The shapes and art will attract others. And still the deeper meaning of the book--that we are sometimes twisted and shredded and snipped yet we can still transform ourselves into someth...more
It's not often I feel compelled to add a picture book to my feed, but this one really stands out. The illustrations are reminiscent of Eric Carle and have a warm quality to them. What really makes it stand apart is the sheer cleverness of the book. Each page holds a surprise for the reader, a new twist. The spirit of the book is about change and adapting, then using that experience to find something beautiful.
This is not only a great book to inspire children, but a great gift for young graduate...more
This is not only a great book to inspire children, but a great gift for young graduate...more
Beautiful art and great concept that will lead to cool art extensions. A perfect square "was cut into pieces and poked full of holes. It wasn't perfectly square anymore" so it transforms its parts into a fountain. Each day, the square goes through a different transformation (I wondered how it got put back together each day and changes color...) but no matter if it gets crumpled, torn, or shredded, the square uses the pieces to become something lovely. At the end, all the different things the squ...more
This book is great for library lessons. It's a quick but profound read aloud.
I'm reading this book with my kindergarten and first graders, and it's the perfect springboard for discussions about how when things look like they're ruined, it's a chance to think outside the box. Then, we are tearing up squares of colored papers to make new pictures. They are loving it.
The sentences are simple and the pictures bright. The kids loved guessing what the square would be made into, and I hope they take t...more
I'm reading this book with my kindergarten and first graders, and it's the perfect springboard for discussions about how when things look like they're ruined, it's a chance to think outside the box. Then, we are tearing up squares of colored papers to make new pictures. They are loving it.
The sentences are simple and the pictures bright. The kids loved guessing what the square would be made into, and I hope they take t...more
In this story, a perfect little square is torn, cut, shredded into different pieces on each page, with the results being utilized to make something beautiful. The square changes color with each day of the week, following the colors of the rainbow. After seeing all of the fun things that could be done with a square, the square was not happy anymore until it turned itself into a rainbow colored window through which the reader can see all of the things made with the earlier squares turned into a ha...more
I love this. It's a great way to say how to make lemons into lemonade or look at the sunny side of the street or look for the silver lining in the cloud. It is about a square that gets damaged essentially and makes himself into something better each time. I would love to see how teachers could use this with older kids for art or writing or geometry even to take a piece of paper of different shapes and alter/repurpose them into some something artistic. I just love the imagination of this artist i...more
Mommy's review from 11/20/11 -
It constantly amazes me how in sync Julia and I are with children's books. We're almost always in agreement on different things and when we aren't we're usually not too far away from each other.
Both us thought the artwork here was wonderful and both of us though the text could have been different. Obviously my six year old daughter said it like this, "I didn't like the story too much but the pictures made out of the square were so cool! I can do that too!"
For as si...more
It constantly amazes me how in sync Julia and I are with children's books. We're almost always in agreement on different things and when we aren't we're usually not too far away from each other.
Both us thought the artwork here was wonderful and both of us though the text could have been different. Obviously my six year old daughter said it like this, "I didn't like the story too much but the pictures made out of the square were so cool! I can do that too!"
For as si...more
A red square gets cut up, so it transforms itself into a fountain, the scraps become a garden, changing colors, it becomes a park and keeps transforming until it is a square again, but now being a square is confining, so it becomes a window to see and connect to all the transformations it has been. This colorful satisfying book brought to mind a childhood book which I hadn't thought about in approximately a hundred year: Going for a Walk With a Line. Now I have to look that up and see if it's tr...more
A lovely story about a 'perfect' square that gets poked full of holes until it transforms into a fountain. It carries on changing into various different objects such as a bubbling fountain, a park, a bridge and even a river. The square changed so much that it eventually turns back into a perfect square.
A great way for EYFS and KS1 children to learn about shapes and also to develop their KUW. I loved the colourful pictures as they are good for engaging children. It is also a great way to link to...more
A great way for EYFS and KS1 children to learn about shapes and also to develop their KUW. I loved the colourful pictures as they are good for engaging children. It is also a great way to link to...more
Gorgeous. If I were an early childhood educator or elementary art teacher, I would bring this book into my classroom tomorrow and use it for a whole unit on shapes, and then use it to inspire several art projects. So simple yet so creative. I loved the painted, textured square and its subsequent forms - I see some inspiration from Eric Carle in the various incarnations of the square. This would be great to read aloud with a small class (so that all of the students could see the pictures) or as a...more
We start with a square that is perfectly happy with it's four equal sides and corners. On Monday it is changed into pieces so it made itself into a fountain with bubbling water. The changes continue for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Saturday the square is waiting to see what will happen. When nothing happens the square becomes sad and frustrated that it is stuck with it's confining equal sides and corners. So it makes itself into a window which looks out on...
You'll have to read to...more
You'll have to read to...more
Each day of the week starts with a square (the color changes every day) that somehow gets ripped/cut/shredded and reinvents itself by making a work of art out of the pieces. At the end of the week all these creations come together.
It's deceptively simple, but covers a wide range of topics all at once: days of the week, colors, shapes, geography/landforms, and a lovely larger message about art and creation that you could push in a purely artistic direction or, if you're so inclined, a religious o...more
It's deceptively simple, but covers a wide range of topics all at once: days of the week, colors, shapes, geography/landforms, and a lovely larger message about art and creation that you could push in a purely artistic direction or, if you're so inclined, a religious o...more
I spotted Perfect Square by Michael Hall on the new picture book shelf at the library. It has a fetching red cover with a big white grin and a multicolored title. The book is about a square who transforms itself each day into something beautiful after being somehow deconstructed.
The square is first cut up and holes punched out of its shape. It rearranges those pieces into a decorative fountain, using the circles as drops of water. A couple birds are drawn on in black line art to complete the eff...more
The square is first cut up and holes punched out of its shape. It rearranges those pieces into a decorative fountain, using the circles as drops of water. A couple birds are drawn on in black line art to complete the eff...more
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Michael Hall is the creator of the nationally best-selling picture book My Heart Is Like a Zoo, as well as the acclaimed Perfect Square. He is the co-owner and principal designer at Hall Kelley, Inc., and lives with his family in Minnesota.
More about Michael Hall...
Michael Hall is the creator of the nationally best-selling picture book My Heart Is Like a Zoo, as well as the acclaimed Perfect Square. He is the co-owner and principal designer at Hall Kelley, Inc., and lives with his family in Minnesota.
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Oct 28, 2011 01:22pm