The Circular Square

Square finds his edges and corners hard to deal with. They are always getting bashed and Square is quite miserable. However, he quickly realises that dwelling on his problems is not helpful and by making the best of things, he can be far happier. Every knock and tumble helps to make him a far more rounded individual.

‘The Circular Square’ is a wonderfully up-lifting and positive story which encourages readers to look for the positives in life even when things get tough. The lively rhyming text is accompanied by an appealing cast of shape characters who vividly bring the story to life.

Through focusing on the little things in life which make him happy in the moment and accepting that life is full of ups and downs, Square becomes a far happier individual, shaped by his experiences and the rewards of perseverance. The book is perfect for sharing in assemblies or as the basis for a PSHE lesson, and although targeted at a younger audience, carries a message which can be positively shared with older children too. The phrases describing the ‘little things that make him feel alive’ like ‘the sparkle of the sea’, ‘the gentle warmth of autumn sun’ or ‘the zing of homemade lemonade’ could easily be used to inspire the writing of precious things poems or lists. Further ideas for this are given at the end of the book where both the author and illustrator share a list of five things which make them happy - and offer a space for readers to do the same.

The story is brimming with a positivity which acknowledges that life is not perfect, but is definitely what you make it!

The Circular Square

Simon Philip, illustrated by Neil Clark

Templar ISBN: 978-1800785052

My Path

Every morning, a little snail sets off to follow their Path. Sometimes this path is shared by others; sometimes it is a lonely one; sometimes hard or unexpected. But the snail knows that it is their Path, their unique way forwards and, as long as it feels like the right thing to do, it is theirs to follow.

‘My Path’ is a delightful story about making your own decisions and choosing not to follow the crowd, but forge your own way in life. The little snail’s determination and perseverance when faced with difficult choices, their choice to ask for help when needed and the courage of their convictions, all lend themselves to discussions, supporting children to understand that they too can ‘walk the road less travelled’ and value their individuality or choose to follow the same path as others as long as this is the right path for them.

When the snail is met by those who challenge their decisions and try to tell them that they are following the wrong path, the story tell us that the snail considers what they are being told before continuing, drawing attention to the fact that not everyone agrees about things and that this is ok, but that is also fine to consider other opinions. There is no need for confrontation, name calling or animosity, but for each to follow the path they have chosen

The illustrations are delightful with the expressive face of the snail showing the range of emotions it experiences on the path it has chosen. No name is given so any child can identify with this appealing individual as they follow their own path.

My Path

Jana Curll

Nosy Crow ISBN: ‎ 978-1805134244

The Boy who Painted the World

Once, a boy found a blank book. Stumbling inside, he soon made a mess- but a friendly paint brush helped him to see that he could transform the splodges into…a messy-a-saurus, wobbly squares into… robots, and circ-angles into…birds! All the boy’s ‘mistakes’ turned into amazing pictures as he and the paint brush mixed a little confidence with a lot of imagination to prove that mistakes open a world of possibilities!

What a brilliant book! Faced with a world which demands a very limited view of ‘perfection’ at every turn, we need more and more books like this which encourage creativity and exploration and show that ‘mistakes’ are merely happy accidents or starting points.

Whatever his previous experiences, the little boy in the story has obviously been left feeling that he is no good at art. ‘I always make a big mess,’ he says apologetically to the paint brush, ‘I’m not very neat.’ Whether he has been told directly or he has gleaned it from comments about his or others’ work, he has learned that neatness and careful lines are things which make an artist and that his work falls short. However, with paint brush’s guidance, he starts to enjoy himself, not worrying about how ‘perfect’ his work is, but relishing the fact that it is fun! Isn’t this what art - or any hobby-should be all about?

Offering a wonderful starting point for creative projects- suggestions for some projects are included at the end- the book also allows for discussions about the importance of having a go, perseverance and (most of all) having fun! Although the theme of the story relates this to art, its message-there’s no such thing as a mistake, just a world of possibilities!- can be applied to anything from maths lessons to riding a bike, from karate to learning to play the piano! ‘The Boy who Painted the World’ is sure to become a firm favourite with teachers, parents and carers as they share its wonderfully positive and empowering message with the children they care for!

The Boy who Painted the World

Tom McLaughlin

OUP ISBN: 978-0192785343

Published 4th July 2024

When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left

I love ‘The Dot’, Peter H. Reynolds’s timeless and inspirational story about creativity, perseverance and self-confidence, celebrating ‘Dot Day’ every year. He has written and illustrated many other books, each of which carries a very positive, self-affirming message. They are perfect for using in school- for individual classes, for assemblies, for whole school projects- and each with Reynolds’s wonderful illustrations.

‘When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left’, written by Marc Colagiovanni and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, is an inspirational story about making a choice about how to deal with worries, frustrations, fears and doubts.

The little boy at the heart of the story is faced with a day when nothing is going right. So, he decides to go left- leaving all his worries, doubts, fears and frustrations behind. He perseveres, finds the courage to try again and realises that the more he does this, the more ‘right’ he feels. The wonderfully positive, affirming message is simply, but directly told, perfect for sharing with children and offering strategies for coping with being overwhelmed or overcoming adversity.

Language play, a direct, optimistic tone and lovely artwork make this an appealing text to use with any age group as its message is as relevant to adults as it is to children. The guidance it offers is full of optimism, reminding the reader they have the power to choose to ‘go left’ and ask for help when needed. It is a joyful book- one for sharing again and again.

When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left!

Marc Colagiovanni, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Scholastic ISBN: 978-0702324765

You can read my review of ‘Our Table’ here , ‘Playing from the Heart’ here and ‘The Word Collector’ here.