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Round

By Jennifer Ward
Illustrated by Lisa Congdon

From award-winning author Jennifer Ward and celebrated artist Lisa Congdon in her debut picture book comes a lyrical, rhyming exploration of the many round things that can be found in nature.

Nature all around is round...

Take a spin through the seasons in this thoughtful and meditative picture book that explores roundness in the natural world. There are round birds’ nests and eggs in the spring, round raindrops falling from the sky in the summer, round apples filling the trees in the fall, and round snowflakes covering the ground in winter—and so much more! Little ones will love this stunning read-aloud that is certain to intrigue and inspire them to start looking all around outside for things that are round.
Photograph by K. Volk
Jennifer Ward

Jennifer Ward has written numerous award-winning picture books, including Just You and Me, illustrated by Alexander Vidal; How to Find a Bird, illustrated by Diana Sudyka; Round, illustrated by Lisa Congdon; and Mama Built a Little Nest and Mama Dug a Little Den, both illustrated by Steve Jenkins. A former elementary educator, Jennifer Ward is an experienced public speaker who travels the country, speaking in schools and at international and national writer and literacy conferences. She lives with her family in Edwardsville, Illinois. Visit her at JenniferWardBooks.com.
Lisa Congdon

Lisa Congdon is an author, illustrator, and fine artist. Her other books include Whatever You Are, be a Good One; Art, Inc.; Fortune Favors the Brave; The Joy of Swimming; and Round by Jennifer Ward, which is her debut children’s picture book. She lives in Portland, Oregon. You can see more of her work at LisaCongdon.com.

A rhyming glimpse at round shapes in nature.

“Nature all around is round,” begins this exploration of shapes round or partially round in nature, beginning with a tiny bird and ending with the planets in our solar system. The pair of two-word phrases in each illustration, each dyad ending with “round,” rhymes: “Glowing round. / Growing round,” reads the text in a spread that features fireflies encased in rings of lights and a crescent moon. In a spread featuring a frog, the creature hangs on tight to a lily pad caught on a small current (“Cling round”) and then jumps into the water, creating ripples in the water that “Ring round.” Some pairings will prompt discussion more than others, such as an empty nest that is “Nest round,” paired with a nest filled with bird eggs that is “Best round.”

– Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2020

Round

By Jennifer Ward
Illustrated by Lisa Congdon

More books from this author: Jennifer Ward