Shape Me a Rhyme

November 1, 2007
Gr 3-6-As in "Color Me a Rhyme" (2000) and "Count Me a Rhyme" (2006, both Boyds Mills), Yolen's delightful word pictures are paired to great effect with Stemple's impressive color photographs. "Triangle" is conceptualized through a close-up shot of an alligator, with the text's wordplay focusing on its "dangerous/And dagger-ous" tooth. The author artfully manages to paint an image or a feeling in just a few lines of terse verse, as in "Square": "A shadow square/Upon a frond/Resides beside/A quiet pond./Since nature rarely/Seeds a square, /We must make do/With what is there." Each poem is printed on a colorful background of the appropriate shape, superimposed atop a beautifully composed two-page photo. Various words describing each form have been scattered across the spread: "Wave" is accompanied by "eddy," "undulant," "billow," "surge," and "roller." There's much to consider in each image, and language-arts teachers will relish this book's ability to jump-start student creativity. It should also appeal to readers who will appreciate its thoughtful approach to nature."Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA"Previously (Ahlberg)

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