What Is the Shape of My Egg? invites children on an enchanting voyage with Silkie the chicken, unraveling the mysteries of geometry through farmyard adventures, empowering lessons, and endearing camaraderie. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The inspiration was actually quite simple. For some time, I have wanted to write children’s stories, but the question was about what? With a little help, I narrowed down my ideas to 1) my love for animals, namely my pets (though many), and 2) what I have learned as an educational researcher, particularly in the areas of mathematical learning and spatial abilities. I will say that integrating the two was no easy task. To date, my publications have involved a completely different style of writing—academic writing. So this book, and the others to follow, was nothing short of a challenge!

The focus on geometric shapes is tied to a recent study with my University of California colleagues. In brief, we explored differences in geometric shape knowledge between a sample of U.S. and Japanese children. Though there are a number of learning points to share, the one implication from the study is that communication about the properties of shapes matters as far as learning outcomes (i.e., above and beyond visual recognition of shapes alone). In other words, though children from an early age can readily identify a circle, do they actually know or can they verbalize the properties of circles (e.g., curved, round, no straight sides, no edges, no points, no beginning or end)?

Can you share any insights into the development process of the interactive exercises in the book, and how they are designed to help children embrace their developing geometric understanding?

The goal is to apply what children have learned in the aftermath of reading the book, ideally with an adult to help promote accurate learning and opportunity to talk about shapes. The shape hunt is merely one approach.

From a developmental perspective, tapping into multiple modalities to learn facilitates learning. With the shape hunt, children should be encouraged to look for, listen (as an adult provides direction as needed), and touch (e.g., trace) various objects that are the shape of a sphere or an ovoid. In addition, “spatial talk” (i.e., use of words such as left, right, above, below, far, and near) should also be encouraged. Spatial talk relates to the way we think about numbers (e.g., smallest to largest) as well as our ability to visualize mathematical information (e.g., properties of 2D and 3D geometric shapes). Taken together, I consider early exploration of shapes and space as a foundation for more advanced geometric concepts that will be introduced in later years.

You included insightful facts about the Silkie chicken breed in the book; was this a personal interest of yours, or was it chosen to add another layer of engagement with the story?

A very personal interest! As shared in the book, Silkie the chicken is a real-life character. For those who are familiar with the breed, it is so true that these chickens are delightful little critters. They make for wonderful pets—both inside and outside the home! I added Silkie chicken facts for those who are not familiar with the breed. So yes, it can be considered another layer of engagement, an added educational component to the book.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

What Is the Shape of My Ears? is the second title in the Shape Stories with Farm Friends Series. It will be available via pre-order November-December 2023. The main character is Pearl (a mini donkey), also a real-life character! In this storyline, Pearl teaches her sidekick Duke (a mini horse) about the properties of triangles. What Is the Shape of My House?, the third and final title, should be available spring 2024 along with a supplemental shape activity book for children roughly 3-5 years of age.

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