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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Tadeo's Search for Circles, written by Marion Brooker and illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2011. $18.95 ages 4 and up

"Tadeo travelled on and on,
fanning himself against the heat,
hugging himself against the cold
until...
...Tadeo spotted the perfect circle...
perhaps...
He circled lower to see
BUT"

A world map on the endpapers sets readers up for a trip that will take them to five numbered places in the world. A legend provides further information about the places we will visit, including the Canadian Arctic. Readers are then  asked to place themselves on the map, before moving on to read the story.

Tadeo is a small boy obsessed with circles. We meet him on the title page, drawing his favorite shape with a stick in the sand. Turns out he is always on the lookout for a perfect circle. He creates many of his own...bubblegum bubbles, windows in sand castles, mouth circles for yawning. None are  just right! So determined is he that he even dreams of circles. When he throws a rope hoping to create a circle with it, something exciting happens and Tadeo is off on a trip of discovery.

His journey lands him a snooze on the moon, a visit to the African Savannah, a stop at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, a ride on the London Eye, and a touchdown in the land of the polar bear. As he returns home to Central America, he discovers that the perfect circle has been there all along. As he lands in his mother's arms, he finds the 'most wonderful, perfect circle of all!'

Kyrsten Brooker's textured collage artwork adds drama and bold color to this young man's journey from his Central American home and back again, to the comfort of familial love and understanding. Young readers will make many surprising discoveries as they share its pages.

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