Circles can be fat or thin
There can be lots—or one
And round things can be big or small
And learning can be fun.

This innovative new picture book encourages children, through poetry and photographs, to explore the idea of what is round—from the spots on a ladybug’s back to a ring on a finger or a wheel on a bike. Using words such as ‘dot,’ ‘spot,’ ‘loop,’ ‘hoop,’ and ‘ring,’ it shows that round things aren’t all alike, but can be anything!

A perfect companion to Zebra Stripes Go Head to Toe, the simple text and vibrant design of Ladybugs Have Lots of Spots encourage children to look for and identify similarly shaped objects in their own environments. Tires on a car are round, for example, and so are the traffic lights that tell those tires when to go and stop. Three round buttons? They’re the same shape as a hula hoop!

Paired together or read separately, these fun books are a great way to introduce the concept of shapes to young children.

Sheryl Shapiro is an art director and book designer for Annick Press. She has co-authored five children's books for Annick with her husband, Simon Shapiro. She lives in Toronto.

Sheryl Shapiro's profile page

When Sheryl and Simon Shapiro met over 35 years ago in South Africa (where they were born and grew up), they had very different interests. Simon had studied subjects like applied mathematics and physics, and worked as a computer programmer. Sheryl had studied print-making and oil painting and worked as an art teacher. Over the years, their lives—and their interests—changed. Simon took up photography as a hobby, learning about color and composition, and now loves visiting art galleries. Sheryl became an art director and book designer, and now spends all day, every day, using a computer.They have other things in common like enjoying music, movies, theater, reading, and spending time with their son Stephen who has written four books for Annick Press. They also discovered that they liked writing humorous rhymes for special occasions. When the opportunity came up to write a book together, they jumped at the chance.Their different abilities and different approaches made working on the book interesting. And there were many happy hours along the way. But they agree that working separately could never have produced the amusing mixtures book called Better Together (2011). Their second rhyming picture book, Slither Slide, What’s Outside? (2012) is a National Parenting Publications Awards, Honor Winner. Now they have written two picture books in verse that explore the concepts of shapes. Ladybugs Have Lots of Spots and Zebra Stripes Go Head to Toe (Fall 2013) combine vibrant photos and bouncy rhymes to introduce young children to the concept of shapes.Sheryl and Simon live in Toronto, Ontario.

Simon Shapiro's profile page

“… bright visuals that combine stock photos with other design elements illustrate the Shapiros’ simple rhymes.”—School Library Journal, 12/13

“The rhymes work and the examples are creative.”—Second Bookshelf on the Right, 07/19/13

“… a delight to explore with younger children.” —Resource Links, 12/13