Rossy Guzman - The Greedy Triangle

Title: The Greedy Triangle
Author: Marilyn Burns
Illustrator: Gordon Silveria
Recommended Grade Level: Pre K- 3rd grade

Common Core Mathematics Standards Addressed: Geometry: Identify and describe shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles (Pre K) and Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes (hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres) (Pre K), Reason with shapes and their attributes (grades 1&3), Reason with shapes and their attribute (grade 2)

Summary: This story is about a triangle who feels that his life is boring because he was doing the same old things like holding up roofs, supporting bridges and being slices of pie. One day he decided to go to the local shapeshifter to ask him to make his life more interesting. So the triangle asked for one more side and one more angle. He became a quadrilateral and lived his life as all of the things that were in the shape of a quadrilateral (TV screen, computer screen, window frame, etc.). His life was exciting again, but soon he became bored again and asked the shapeshifter to give him one more size and one more angle. The story continues with the triangle becoming different shapes until he finally had so many sides that he lost his balance. In the process he lost his friends and he became a very lonely and sad shape who could not stop rolling. At last, he asked the shapeshifter to make him a triangle again. He was a happy triangle again because he was able to do the jobs that he was meant to do as a triangle.

Rating: I highly recommend this book for teaching geometric shapes to early elementary school children and also for students who need remedial math instruction in the upper grades. The story is fun and puts the audience in the life of the triangle as it changes shapes and is able to learn about the different items that the new shape is found in or on. The examples that are given for each shape are concrete and can be identified by students from visuals that a teacher can present to the class.

Classroom Ideas: This book could be used to introduce a unit on geometry or simple to expose students to the different shapes that are found in the world around us. A teacher can use visual aides to help the students see examples of different shapes like the ones found in the story. Students can also be asked to identify colors within the story due to the vivid assortment of colors the illustrator used.