My Shape Is Sam

Circles and squares are given specific jobs in this gentle celebration of self-discovery: circles “turned together to make things go,” while squares “all fit together to make things stay.” Square-shaped Sam doesn’t “really feel like a square”—he wants to move fast like the circles, with nary a “thump-thump-thump” as he turns.” Nichols’s expressive digital illustrations, rendered in cheery pastel hues in basic shapes, parallel Sam’s energy. After he finds a hoop in a park, and begins his rolling adventure, the more he moves—despite “bumps... bonks... and thuds” —the happier he becomes. The metaphor of making one’s identity plays nicely here, as a supportive community of shapes cheer Sam’s enthusiastic transformation from builder to roller. As Sam tumbles, his corners begin to round, an effect that is echoed in the pages’ rounded edges. Affable and reassuring, this story shapes up into an introduction to identity. Ages 4–8. [em](Sept.) [/em]