Triangle. Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press (Distributed in Canada by Random House Canada), 2017. 48 pp., hardcover, $22.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-9603-0. Subject Headings: Shape-Juvenile fiction. Humorous fiction. Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 3-6. Review by Ellen Heaney. ** /4

Triangle, who lives in a triangular house with a triangular door, walks outside one day. He is going to "play a sneaky trick on Square". He goes past a landscape of triangles and one of "shapes with no names" to a place where everything is square.

Triangle walked up to Square's door and said 'HISS!' just like a snake.

Square was afraid of snakes. 'Oh me oh my!' said Square.

'Go away, you snake! Leave my door!…'

'HISS!' said Triangle. 'HISS! HISS! HISS!'

'Oh dear dear dear!' said Square. 'How many snakes are out there?

Ten? Ten million? Go away snakes!'

Triangle could not hiss any more. He was laughing too hard.

      Once Square realizes he has been tricked, he is so annoyed he chases Triangle all the way back home where he gets his four-sided self stuck in Triangle's three-sided door.

      Award-winning author Max Barrett wrote one of my recent favourite quirky picture book stories, Extra Yarn. Jon Klassen illustrated that book, as well as writing and producing the art for the well-loved I Want My Hat Back and its sequels. Here he has accompanied Barrett's simple text with digitally-generated watercolour and graphite pictures of solid geometric shapes in muted earth tones.

      Even for fans of this duo, Triangle does not really provide enough story to support a picture book. It is more like an idea for a four-panel cartoon strip. Only for those collections that must have Barrett or Klassen's complete works.

Recommended with Reservations.

Ellen Heaney is a retired children's librarian living in Coquitlam, BC.

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