And we love it.
With a thick, solid card cover and regular matte pages inside, Triangle is a book that already sits... er... outside the square.
Inside, we meet Triangle, who is keen to dash over to Square's house to play a sneaky trick on him. Out of his triangular front door he goes, past small and medium and big triangles, onto shapes with no names, and finally arriving at a landscape of big, medium and small squares.
At Square's house, Triangle does, indeed, play a sneaky trick. And Square, quite naturally, isn't happy. So as Triangle pelts back home, Square gives chase, and inadvertently teaches his trickster friend a lesson.
Told in a fable-like fashion, this is a funny, romping story that kids will enormously enjoy. Although Barnett and Klassen are consummate pros at nailing childlike narratives, imagery and voice, the dry ending perhaps falls a tad short in rounding out the story with a BOOM-TISH! I'm not sure why--it just feels unfinished and while it tickles the funny bone, in my subjective opinion, it doesn't line it up and whack it.
Klassen's superbly-crafted illustrations are textured and utterly luscious, cleverly devised and balanced, with mood and drama of even the slightest nuance beautifully captured in just the shape and direction of the characters' eyes.
This is the first of a trilogy of picture books featuring Triangle and Square--who are simplicity and wit personified. A delightful new character pairing kids will fall in love with.
Title: Triangle
Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher: Candlewick Press, $31.99
Publication Date: 14 March 2017
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780763696030
For ages: 4 - 9
Type: Picture Book
