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Ship Shapes
Children will ride the waves to a faraway island in search of jewels and treasure and see how many everyday shapes they can spot, in a lively, shape-filled ocean adventure with appealing fabric art.
24 pages, Library Binding
First published March 1, 2006
About the author
Stella Blackstone
183 books39 followersSee also: Tessa Strickland
Tessa Strickland is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of independent children’s publisher Barefoot Books. As Stella Blackstone, she has written many bestselling picture books for children. As an editor, she has worked with authors and illustrators all over the world.
—from http://www.arvon.org/tutors/tessa-str...
Tessa Strickland is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of independent children’s publisher Barefoot Books. As Stella Blackstone, she has written many bestselling picture books for children. As an editor, she has worked with authors and illustrators all over the world.
—from http://www.arvon.org/tutors/tessa-str...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 25, 2022
Ship Shapes (2006) by Stella Blackstone is a lovely read which helps children understand different shapes.
The book has gorgeous illustrations by Siobhan Bell and I find the concept really creative. The different shapes are shown at the beginning of the book as an introduction to the different shapes for the children and then there is lots of pictures with ships which include the shapes. Children are encouraged to find the shapes in the pictures.
It is a really fun way to learn and perfect for a child who has an interest in ships and boats. I really like how this book is put together. It is different to many shape books but still with the same goal. It feels like it would be a really enjoyable adventure for children as they learn about all these new shapes to them.
A great book.
The book has gorgeous illustrations by Siobhan Bell and I find the concept really creative. The different shapes are shown at the beginning of the book as an introduction to the different shapes for the children and then there is lots of pictures with ships which include the shapes. Children are encouraged to find the shapes in the pictures.
It is a really fun way to learn and perfect for a child who has an interest in ships and boats. I really like how this book is put together. It is different to many shape books but still with the same goal. It feels like it would be a really enjoyable adventure for children as they learn about all these new shapes to them.
A great book.
August 27, 2021
Amazing fabric illustrations! No real story to follow, just opportunities to point out and count different shapes. A glossary of nine different shapes is included at the beginning of the book. Ages 2-5.
February 15, 2018
The illustrations in this book are WONDERFUL (being a seamstress, I'm partial to the style), however, I wish it had a compelling story to go along with it. So much potential missed there!
September 20, 2019
Wonderful learning book for shapes! Lots of opportunities to practice in a fun way!
July 7, 2021
I thought this was really cute and I'll definitely come back to it when kiddo's more into shapes.
December 7, 2022
Toddler and preschool
June 9, 2025
Attractive and interesting now, but I think this will be also worth revisiting when the girls are older.
October 7, 2009
Illustrations are FIVE STAR! Should have guessed this was a Barefoot book. I wish the text was more rhyme or rhythm. The simplicity of the text did allow us to linger on each page and discuss more of each shape... and study the events.
I also wish the plot was simple and cute, but my toddler was confused about them boarding the ship and then they were with sea monster next. Another big Q each time we read it was about the girl supposedly sitting on the raft but it looked like she was walking on water.
I also wish the plot was simple and cute, but my toddler was confused about them boarding the ship and then they were with sea monster next. Another big Q each time we read it was about the girl supposedly sitting on the raft but it looked like she was walking on water.
April 11, 2013
The story is about shapes and its just okay, but the illustrations are amazing. All done with fabric and sewing, they are so lovely. I wish the story had more heft, but its just a simple 'find the shapes' kind of book. Either way, I'd get it in hardcover and read it again. If you have kid, I recommend it to you!
April 15, 2012
This book would be great for grades pre-k to 1st grade. There are pictures made out of different shapes, such as boats, treasure, sea monsters, etc. The student would go through and find their own shapes and could then count up the sides. This would be great for a mini-geometry lesson.
December 31, 2014
This book hits all of our favorite things: sewn illustrations, boats, pirate treasure hunts, shapes, and colors. Perfect for older toddlers who enjoy hunting games. I will be trying this out at a Storytime.
September 25, 2008
I am giving this book 5 stars because of the illustrations which are done out of fabric and intricate hand sewing. I was amazed at the detail.
September 30, 2008
A great book for focusing on the names of shapes. In true Blackstone-style, you can look at the pics for hours.
June 15, 2012
Story is a little hard to follow but the illustrations are awesome!
September 20, 2012
Brightly coloured pictures encourage children to recognise shapes within attractive seascapes. There is lots of scope for discussion in a storytime, but no story as such.
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July 25, 2013The kids liked it okay, and we did enjoy looking at the shapes, but it didn't work fantastically for us.
June 2, 2014
What a great library find! Colorful and full of shapes and images to hunt for on every page. Perfect for my almost 2 year old.
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October 15, 2017Mama read this to me one night last month because she had gotten a lot of transportation books for the preschool where she works.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews