A TRAPEZOID IS NOT A DINOSAUR!
Author: Suzanne Morris
Illustrator: Suzanne Morris
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Number of pages: 29
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (USA) First published in: 2019 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, IND, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
Shape up, shapes! Triangle is hosting auditions for all the best shapes to be in his play. Circle, Square, and Star each get a part. But Trapezoid just doesn't "fit in." Is he even a shape? The others think he sounds like a type of dinosaur. Determined to show off his usefulness, Trapezoid tries to act like the other shapes, to no avail. Eventually, though, Trapezoid celebrates his own distinct shape properties in order to become part of the performance. |
“"A square has four equal sides. A trapezoid is not a square." "Square, you fit in. You have all the right angles."”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
Suzanne Morris’s ‘A Trapezoid is not a Dinosaur!’ (2019) is a fun story about a trapezoid named … Trapezoid, who just tries to fit in by convincing the other shapes to let him be included in Triangle’s upcoming show about space. As each shape (e.g., a square, a circle, and a star) auditions for the show by highlighting key properties of its shape, Trapezoid tries unsuccessfully to convince the others why he is just like them. This is understandable as Trapezoid is indeed quite unique. Fear not, Trapezoid is very smart and finds his way to be included in the show after all. The story features an engaging storyline for very young audience which has the potential to facilitate further discussions about key similarities and differences of other 2D shapes. A few trapezoid-shaped objects are also discretely placed in page illustrations to be spotted by readers. Given the storyline, messages about trying to fit in and inclusion can also be had. Unfortunately, this story picture book suffers from the same classic issue like most other story picture books about 2D shapes, in that it uses 2D shapes to represent 3D shapes (e.g., a flat circle to represent the spherical Moon) which has potential to reinforce misconceptions among very young unsuspecting children. When this story is being read to very young audience, it can thus be useful to highlight the differences between 2D and 3D shapes to them. All in all, we recommend ‘A Trapezoid is not a Dinosaur!’ to introduce the concept of 2D shapes to children aged 5+ years old as long as the aforementioned issue gets highlighted to the young audience. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author.)
Recommended age range:
5+ years old
Relevant 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.
Suzanne Morris’s ‘A Trapezoid is not a Dinosaur!’ (2019) is a fun story about a trapezoid named … Trapezoid, who just tries to fit in by convincing the other shapes to let him be included in Triangle’s upcoming show about space. As each shape (e.g., a square, a circle, and a star) auditions for the show by highlighting key properties of its shape, Trapezoid tries unsuccessfully to convince the others why he is just like them. This is understandable as Trapezoid is indeed quite unique. Fear not, Trapezoid is very smart and finds his way to be included in the show after all. The story features an engaging storyline for very young audience which has the potential to facilitate further discussions about key similarities and differences of other 2D shapes. A few trapezoid-shaped objects are also discretely placed in page illustrations to be spotted by readers. Given the storyline, messages about trying to fit in and inclusion can also be had. Unfortunately, this story picture book suffers from the same classic issue like most other story picture books about 2D shapes, in that it uses 2D shapes to represent 3D shapes (e.g., a flat circle to represent the spherical Moon) which has potential to reinforce misconceptions among very young unsuspecting children. When this story is being read to very young audience, it can thus be useful to highlight the differences between 2D and 3D shapes to them. All in all, we recommend ‘A Trapezoid is not a Dinosaur!’ to introduce the concept of 2D shapes to children aged 5+ years old as long as the aforementioned issue gets highlighted to the young audience. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author.)
Recommended age range:
5+ years old
Relevant 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.
