8 Best Books that Teach Kids about Shapes

Books are one of the best medium to introduce new concepts to young children. Here I share eight of my favourite books on shapes that I love to use in class to teach shapes to preschoolers.

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1. So Many Circles, So Many Squares by Tana Hoban

This book is filled with a wonderful collection of photographs of circle and square objects. The book helps to encourage children to spot circles and squares in their everyday environment. This book has no text and thus it is very interactive because you can talk about the photographs in so many different ways (e.g. to look for the shapes, to count, talk about color, relating the objects to own personal experiences, etc.) It is a great book for young children to 'read' on their own.

2. Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban

Another interactive book by the same author. This one covers various other shapes like circle, square, triangle, rectangle, diamond, oval, heart, star and hexagon. Children will discover that there are many shapes to be found on buildings, towers, food, vehicles, lunchbox and other items.

3. When a Line Bends….A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene

This book shows how shapes are created simply by bending a line. It touches on various shapes like circle, square, rectangle, triangle, diamond, oval, star, crescent, heart and octagon. The illustrations are colorful and the rhyming texts make it ideal for young readers. One example of an extension activity you can do with your students after reading this book is for them to try to create different shapes using strings or dough.

4. Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert

This book has cut out shapes on the pages to show different animal faces. It covers 9 shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, diamond, heart, octagon and hexagon). It is a wonderful book to learn about shapes, colors and animals like mouse, tiger, monkey, fox, etc.).