From the multi-award-winning, New York Times bestselling team of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (creator of This Is Not My Hat and I Want My Hat Back), this mischievous, shifty-eyed story about some very sneaky shapes is the first tale in an exciting new shape trilogy that approaches the traditional concept from a whole new angle.
Take a sneak peek inside the book…
Behind the scenes with Jon & Mac
The idea began with drawings Jon Klassen had been working on for many years. “It was an older visual concept that came from a period when I had more time to do one-offs, with characters I made from shapes,” Klassen said. “All the shapes have the same size eyes but with the triangle, you have to set the eyes way down in his body and, for some reason, that made him look shifty. That was so interesting, that just from where you placed his eyes implied something about his character. All of sudden he became a trickster, whereas Square is just more solid and conservative because, well, because he’s square.”
“Despite the titles, these are not concept books but a series about friendship along the lines of Frog and Toad, the classic Arnold Lobel tales,” author Mac Barnett said. In the debut, Triangle plays a trick on his friend, Square. Maybe. It could be that Square has pulled a fast one on Triangle. “Square is a square dude,” Barnett added. “He’s got a routine and isn’t as sharp as Triangle.”
Klassen had characters but no story when he showed the drawings to Mac Barnett, with whom he had already collaborated on two award-winning books, Extra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole. “We talked about it until we came up with the introduction because we had to set the stage – introduce the tone of the story – before it could begin,” Klassen said. “But once we got that done, Mac said, ‘I can take it from here,’ and he went back and wrote this really hilarious text. I would have gone really concept-y but Mac’s so loose that what he came up with was this really funny story about these two pals.”
WIN Triangular Treats
To celebrate the launch of this new series, we’ve got five goody bags full of triangular treats to give away, each including a copy of the book, a limited edition print, a funky triangle stamp, stickers, a poster and a Toblerone! To enter, just answer this question:
In the new book Triangle, who does Triangle play a trick on?
a) Circle
b) Square
c) Star
To enter, just email competitions@walker.co.uk with 'Triangle' in the subject line before 30th April 2017. Terms and conditions apply.
Join in the fun and download these free Triangle activity sheets and pick up a copy of Triangle at your local bookshop.
About Jon Klassen
Jon Klassen is the author-illustrator of I Want My Hat Back, We Found a Hat and This Is Not My Hat, the only book to ever win both the Kate Greenaway and Caldecott Medal. He also illustrated Mac Barnett's Extra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, and served as an illustrator on the animated feature film Coraline. His illustrations for Caroline Stutson's Cats Night Out won the Governor General's Award in 2010. Originally from Niagara Falls, Canada, Jon now lives in Los Angeles, California. Find Jon online at burstofbeaden.com and on Twitter as @burstofbeaden.
About Mac Barnett
Mac Barnett is the author of several award-winning books for children, including President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, which won a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and a Caldecott Honor. Mac Barnett lives in California, USA. Find Mac online at macbarnett.com and on Twitter as @macbarnett.