Story Time with Sara: The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss

The Shape of Me and Other Stuff
written by Dr. Seuss
published by Picture Lions, 2005 (1973)

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book: I really enjoyed this book. It is one of the Seuss books I’d never heard of before picking it up at the library. It is a fun little story about how everything has a different shape and no two things are shaped exactly the same way.

I can see this being very applicable in our current body shape obsessed world. I think it’s a wonderful way to introduce small children to the concept of loving the shape of your body because it is unique, it’s yours, and it’s the only one you get. This would be a GREAT book for sneaking positive body image ideas into kids’ heads long before they’re old enough to start seeing how cruel the world can be. Plant the seed and water it enough and it will grow . . . cheesy, I know, but hey . . . I review kids’ books.

Even without body image discussions, this is still a fun, silly, rhyming Dr. Seuss book like you’d expect. The illustrations are not very colorful because they’re mostly the shadows of things, but it doesn’t detract from the story. My son enjoyed it but it wasn’t his favorite (hence the star rating).

Would I recommend it: Yes, there are very few Dr. Seuss books that I would NOT recommend and this isn’t one of them. If you are looking for a fun, silly book, this one is for you. If you are looking to plant the seeds of body image, this book might be right for your family. Take a look and leave me a comment with what you think!

About the book – from Goodreads: Subtitled “Dr. Seuss’s Surprising Word Book,” The Shape of Me and Other Stuff certainly lives up to its billing. In this delightful book, first published in 1973, kids are encouraged to ponder shapes they may never have considered before: “Just think about the shape of beans and flowers and mice and big machines!” Dr. Seuss’s illustrations are in silhouette (for the purpose of accenting the outlines of figures), but are nonetheless up to par with his usual wacky, amusing style. Soaring well beyond the mundane arena of circles, triangles, and squares, here we are challenged to consider “the shape of camels … the shape of bees and the wonderful shapes of back door keys!” Kids will love the silly rhymes and funny pictures, and parents will appreciate this original take on the largely untapped world of shapes.