Anne Sibley O'Brien's passion for multiracial, multicultural, and global subjects grew out of her experience of being raised bilingual and bicultural in South Korea. She is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Someone New, I'm New Here, A Path of Stars, After Gandhi, and In the Shadow of the Sun. Hanna Cha spent her childhood in both Korea and America. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2017 and currently lives in Boston. www.hannacha.com
A cogent message of love and acceptance is portrayed through the
spare language and delicate watercolor illustrations of this
diverse picture book. Children playing in a park gradually join
together to form a single playful "circle," the backgrounds a muted
sepia around each new addition-until they join the fun. Body
diversity-one boy arrives with a service dog; a little girl has
hearing aids-and multiple ethnicities are represented without being
remarked upon, making this a subtle, unifying text.
-ForeWord
This warm-hearted playground-set concept book focuses on circles
and on counting from one to ten. "Once circle. . . bounces! Two
circles. . . roll!" Warm-toned, digitally colored ink illustrations
depict a child bouncing a basketball and another cycling up on a
two-wheeler. More friends appear, each shown with a circular or
spherical item. Some of these items are toted (hula hoops, flying
discs), some are built into the playscape (climbing rings,
sprinkler heads), and all are intended for cooperative enjoyment.
After we get to ten circles-in the form of festively decorated
cookies-the count returns to the beginning. The children join hands
as "one circle gathers. One circle opens. One circle grows. Circle
Round." The message of inclusion, underscored by the illustrations
casual diversity in characters' skin tones, ethnicities, genders,
and abilities, is clear for very young children-all of whom would
likely be welcomed enthusiastically into this circle of
friends.
-The Horn Book
One basketball, two bicycle wheels, three hula hoops, four
frisbees, and other circular objects up to 10 provide children of
varying skin tones, genders, and abilities the chance to interact
through play in this lively counting book. Emphasizing circular
objects' ability to connect individuals, Cha's digitally colored
ink illustrations juxtapose smudgy, sepia-toned scenes of solo kids
on a playground with chromatic depictions of a growing group's
energetic exploits. On one page, a light-skinned child using a
wheelchair sits alone on a splash pad among six fountain discs-a
scene that gains full color when more children join in the fun.
Past 10, a circle of smiling children "gathers," "opens," and
"grows," simply showcasing the shape's-and children's-ability to
expand and include.
-Publishers Weekly
A circle grows larger and more inclusive. Children-diverse in
gender, skin tone, ethnicity, hairstyle and color, and physical
ability-meet while playing, initially separately, in the park. What
unites them is engagement with round things: toys (ball, balloons,
Frisbees, hula hoops); playground equipment; wheeled items (bike,
wheelchair); and other circular objects (bubbles, cookies). The
group expands in size and fun. After the kids clasp hands to form a
literal circle, one child observes that a newcomer (with a dog) has
just arrived. Guess who completes the friendship ring? This ode to
kindness and a welcoming spirit is cheerful and textually minimal,
focusing on number words one to 10, active verbs, and the words
circle or circles in boldfaced larger type. Lively ink
illustrations feature smiling children enjoying one another's
company and also, notably, being mutually helpful. One child uses a
wheelchair and is fairly actively engaged in play; another wears
hearing aids; a third, eyeglasses. Unfortunately, some
illustrations suffer from a lack of clarity. On the first spread,
captioned "One circle," for instance, the verso shows a basketball,
the recto, a bike. Kids would likely describe the bike's wheels as
round, therefore rightly claiming the spread includes three
circles; the subsequent spread features the basketball and bike
with the caption "Two circles"-but, arguably, again three circles.
And so on. These interpretations may lead to conversation or
frustration.
Though well meaning, this circle is a bit broken.
-Kirkus Reviews
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