The Shape of You

This unusual book begins with an invitation to recognize the shape of a sphere in the planet Earth floating through space. As demonstrated on the next page, a sphere looks like a circle from any vantage point: a truly scientific observation! Then we have the triangles that are the peaks of several far hills; and the table with a child’s colouring materials and a little lunch laid out on it inside a house that is a square.

We soon move on to much more abstract concepts embracing the notion of ‘shape’. The shape of water as a cup (a liquid) or an ice cube (a solid) is an interesting stretch, but then the boundaries are really moved.

The shape of light is all the colours of the sunset…

The shape of thinking is quiet.

The shape of learning is a question.

A picture of a mother embracing a friendly pup (“the shape of friendship is a dog”), and the child who is the focus of all these ideas is captioned:

The shape of warmth is a space waiting to be filled.

The ending is a tribute to parental love.

The shape of my fingers will always fit yours.

And the shape of my love will always be you.

Lovely cut paper and textile collages in soft colours create a mood in keeping with the somewhat wistful nature of the text. Crisp edges delineate a shirt, a cup or a box while backgrounds are less three-dimensional and more subtly textured.

Van, who has a number of other picture books for children to her credit (If You Were Night; One is a Lot: Except When It’s Not) has clearly put a great deal of thought into establishing the meditative tone of this work. She asks readers to ponder how meanings of the word ‘shape’ might be expanded and manipulated, and how some shapes are permanent, others changeable. Thoughtful children could be drawn into this Zen world when sharing the book with an adult but might be confused if tackling it alone.

A special addition to primary library collections.