LOVE, TRIANGLE
Author: Marcie Colleen
Illustrator: Bob Shea
Number of pages: 30
Publisher: HarperCollins' Balzer + Bray (USA) First published in: 2017 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? No Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
A hilariously clever geometry-inspired picture book from acclaimed author Marcie Colleen and popular illustrator Bob Shea. Ever since they were a dot and a speck, Circle and Square have been best friends.... Then someone new comes along: a cool, exciting Triangle. And three starts to feel like a crowd ... With their friendship bent out of shape, can they put it back together again? |
“Circle admired Square for all his good points. Square loved that his friend really knew how to rock and roll. Until a wedge came between them. Well, not really a wedge. More like a bold and exciting Triangle.”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Marcie Colleen’s ‘Love, Triangle’ (2017) follows two best friends, Square and Circle, whose friendship was tested when both tried to win the attention of their new friend, Triangle. Friendship is a predominant focus in the story, and it is something that young readers can easily relate to. Mathematically speaking, there are arguably some small debatable issues, such as how ‘points’, instead of ‘corners’, are used to describe where two sides meet, and how a party cone hat is implicitly used to represent a triangle. That said, the story can provide opportunities for children to observe and learn to describe properties of 2D shapes. The illustrations by Bob Shea are adorable. Judging by the pronouns used for each of the main characters (he, him), the story would benefit from having female characters to promote gender diversity in mathematical stories. All in all, ‘Love, Triangle’ could be useful for children aged 4+ years old to become more familiar with basic 2D shapes. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the author)
Recommended age range:
4 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
2D shapes
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
Marcie Colleen’s ‘Love, Triangle’ (2017) follows two best friends, Square and Circle, whose friendship was tested when both tried to win the attention of their new friend, Triangle. Friendship is a predominant focus in the story, and it is something that young readers can easily relate to. Mathematically speaking, there are arguably some small debatable issues, such as how ‘points’, instead of ‘corners’, are used to describe where two sides meet, and how a party cone hat is implicitly used to represent a triangle. That said, the story can provide opportunities for children to observe and learn to describe properties of 2D shapes. The illustrations by Bob Shea are adorable. Judging by the pronouns used for each of the main characters (he, him), the story would benefit from having female characters to promote gender diversity in mathematical stories. All in all, ‘Love, Triangle’ could be useful for children aged 4+ years old to become more familiar with basic 2D shapes. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the author)
Recommended age range:
4 years old +
Relevant mathematics topics:
2D shapes
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.