Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In the first book of a planned trilogy from the team behind two Caldecott Honor winners (Extra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole), Triangle plots some serious mischief. He-s a charcoal-colored triangle with sticklike legs and Klassen-s famous shifty-eyed stare, and he plans to frighten his friend Square. Triangle sets off through the triangles in his neighborhood, across a wilderness of rocky mounds (-They were shapes with no names,- Barnett intones) and on through a lot of squares to Square-s house. -I will play my sneaky trick,- Triangle announces. He hisses like a snake, Square is terrified, and there-s a moment of silent, incandescent fury as Square glares at Triangle across the page. Square chases Triangle home and blocks his door, leaving Triangle in the dark, which frightens him right back. -You see, Triangle,- Square crows, -this was my plan all along.- Barnett ends with a rhetorical question for readers: -But do you really believe him?- Since the final spread shows Square stuck fast in the triangular doorway, the answer, clearly, is a resounding -No!- Klassen-s palette is quiet, his weathered backdrops are elegant, and his comic timing is precisely synched to Barnett-s deadpan prose. Triangle fools Square, and the story fools readers, too, as they wait for Square to put Triangle in his place, or for the two to reconcile. Instead, Triangle seems to win this round, even if he does finish the book trapped in his own home. Whereas the humor in Sam and Dave Dig a Hole was subtle and sly, this shape showdown is pure, antic buffoonery. Ages 5-9. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Mar.)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Starred Review Triangle is up to no good u can see it in his shifty eyes. In fact, he's planning to play a "sneaky prank" on his friend Square. The charcoal-gray schemer sets off on his two peg legs, passing by mountainlike triangles that give way to rocky "shapes with no names," and finally traversing the blocky landscape that leads to Square's house. Concealing himself to the side of the doorway, Triangle knows his moment has come. The joke goes off without a hitch, but Square fails to see the humor in the situation and chases the tricky Triangle all the way back to his triangle-shaped house, where the tables are hilariously turned. Barnett and Klassen, whose previous collaborations tra Yarn (2012) and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole (2014) re Caldecott Honor Books, have created a marvelously clever picture book. Its understated humor hinges on details in the minimalistic artwork, and story elements that defy reader expectation. Klassen's watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have a stamplike quality, which build distinct landscapes with squares and triangles painted in rocky grays, slate blues, and the peachy reds of marble. The simple sentences and repetition are perfect for a young audience, who will be raptly interested in the devious dynamic between the friends. Judging by this offbeat first volume, Barnett and Klassen's planned trilogy is shaping up to be an excellent one. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This dynamic duo's credits will be supercharged by a national publicity campaign including a tour, an activity kit, and promotional items and posters.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Triangle leaves his triangle-shaped house via his triangle-shaped door, off to "play a sneaky trick on Square." But thanks to geometry, Square gets the last laugh. Fans of this author-illustrator team will recognize elements such as sumptuous textures and expressive eyes, not to mention a pesky antihero and a chase scene that goes in one direction, then back--plus an open, ambiguous ending.

Kirkus Reviews

The pairing of Barnett's deceptively simple, tongue-in-cheek text with Klassen's iconic splattered and stenciled watercolor and digital illustrations in earth tones makes for a unique approach to exploring shapes. Triangle, a black shape with stick legs and large eyes, inhabits a triangular house. Tired of triangular living, he leaves his domain and sets out to play a "sneaky trick" on Square. Walking past a forest of different-sized triangles and shapes resembling huge boulders, he comes to the land of the squares. When he arrives at Square's house, he hisses at Square's door like a snake, sending the four-sided shape into conniptions until his laughter gives him away. Mad as heck at the trick, Square chases Triangle back through the forest of shapes to Triangle's house. Alas, his shape prevents him from entering the triangular doorway. Inadvertently, Square discovers Triangle's fear of the dark when he blocks the light from the doorway, causing Triangle to cry out with terror. Square claims this is what he intended all along. "But do you really believe him?" The book is limited as shape instruction, as only two easy shapes are depicted, but that's not really the point. Klassen's minimalist visuals make for beautiful, surreal landscapes as the shapes go back and forth; Barnett's even-more-minimalist narrative leaves gaps of many shapes and sizes for readers to ponder. Children will be intrigued by the fairy-tale quality of this narrative and may enjoy debating the motivations of its peculiar characters. (Picture book. 2-4)