Picture Book #7: Brown Rabbit's Shape Book

Author: Alan Baker

Illustrator: Alan Baker

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: Fantasy

Theme: Shapes

Primary and secondary characters: Brown Rabbit

Awards: 0

Publication Date: 1994

Publishing Company:  Kingfisher Books

     This book can help teach young children shapes in a fun way. This story follows a brown rabbit as he explores the items found in a big box that arrived at his place. The box is filled with balloons of all shapes and sizes. Brown Rabbit observes all of the shapes as he blows up the many balloons. Rabbit eventually runs out of balloons but makes use of what is left of the gift box. Children will love the illustrations in this book because nobody can resist a cute brown rabbit that is so beautifully illustrated. The illustrator chooses not to add any unnecessary designs or background colors which keeps the focus on the shapes of the balloons. This little rabbit and his fun adventure with shapes makes this book a must have for any children's book collection.
     I would definitely use this book in a lesson over shapes. I would use the book to hook the students and want to make them learn about shapes. Instead of book work and just having kids draw the shapes, I would send them on a scavenger hunt to find all of the shapes mentions in the book. The students would only be allowed to look in the classroom for the items. They would then have to create a box like brown rabbit received int he mail and but all of their items in the box and give it to another group so that they can name all the shapes in that groups box.