Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Buy Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
Summary: Turning a traditional shapes book on its head...never has a triangle had quite so much character!
Buy? yes	Borrow? yes
Pages: 48	Date: March 2017
Publisher: Walker Books
External links: [checked Author's website]
ISBN: 9781406376678
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This is a story about Triangle. One day he goes out of his house and walks a long way to go and play a sneaky trick on his friend, Square. It's quite a long walk, past lots and lots of triangles, and then lots of shapes with no name, and then lots and lots of squares. What will happen after he's played his trick on Square, though? Will Triangle get his comeuppance?

This is much more interesting than the usual 'shapes' story book. Triangle and Square are full of character, and it is very funny. Once Triangle reaches Square's house he plays his trick. He stands outside Square's door and hisses like a snake, because he knows that Square is scared of snakes. Square is, indeed, very afraid! But then he discovers that it is Triangle, and when Triangle runs away, Square chases after him! They go back past all the many squares, and shapes with no name, and triangles before Triangle runs inside his house. Square runs to try and follow Triangle but then, because Triangle's door is a triangle, Square gets stuck in the doorway! Triangle thinks this is hilarious, until he realises that the house is now very dark, and rather scary...and Square declares that he has now played a trick on Triangle and that was his plan all along!

The story is well done. I really liked the humour, and when Triangle starts laughing at the trick he's played on Square I found myself laughing too. It's very simply done, but captures the way children enjoy playing jokes on each other, being both a little bit mean as well as funny at the same time! The illustrations, though, I felt work better for adults and older children than for pre-school children who would usually be the audience for this book. The colours are all very muted greys and greens and blacks. As a grown up reader, I can see that they've been beautifully done, with soft water colours, patterns and prints. My feeling, however, was that they become a little dull for small children. They start to feel repetitive, and although I do like them, I don't feel they capture and hold the attention of little ones. Not everything has to be primary colours, large and loud, but there needed to be just a little more energy and diversity to them. For this reason, the story works better for children who are a little older, and who have the patience to see the humour within the story.

I found it extremely funny to read, and enjoyed it very much. You should probably try it out with your smaller readers and see what they think, and if they're not quite old enough to appreciate it yet, just enjoy it by yourself whenever you get a three minute sit down and need cheering up, then when they're a bit older, let them take a look too.

Further reading suggestion: You might also enjoy this by the same author/illustrator team Extra Yarn or I Want My Hat Back

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You can read more book reviews or buy Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen at Amazon.com.

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