What do you think?
Rate this book
Wednesday
Wednesday is a sweet story about two best friends, Little Round and Big Square. But it's also about what it is to really play imaginatively with another. Every Wednesday, our two friends get together to play. Sometimes they have some tough moments, like all true friends, but they mostly have the best time that two friends can ever have together! Illustrated in a strong, two-color graphic style, Wednesday has strong appeal for the youngest readers as well as for parents and teachers. Anne Bertier has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1995. She studied literature while attending mime courses at the Sylvia Monfort School. Her particular interests in creating art are composition and balance.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2014
2 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 11, 2024
Very creative book that will help inspire the inner geometric artist in all children. Challenges young children to see in different ways. This would be a great book to read with a child who is starting to notice patterns; how certain shapes seem to be repeated in ways that are very similar. Almost a Taoist undercurrent here!
March 31, 2019
Best friends Little Round and Big Square enjoy playing together, making themselves into all sorts of fun shapes and objects. But when Big Square begins to show off a bit, making himself (herself?) into all sorts of things that Little Round can't copy, it looks like their playtime is over. Then Little Round suggests that they make shapes and objects together, and the real fun starts...
Originally published in France as Mercredi, this innovative concept book plays with shapes in an entertaining way, demonstrating how they can be taken apart and put back together again in new and creative forms. It also tells an engaging story about friendship, and the give and take necessary for successful play involving more than one participant. The book is simply designed, with lots of white space on the page, bold black typeface used for the text, and the blue and orange of its two characters/shapes arranged in interesting ways. Recommended to anyone looking for new and slightly different takes on the concept book devoted to shapes.
Originally published in France as Mercredi, this innovative concept book plays with shapes in an entertaining way, demonstrating how they can be taken apart and put back together again in new and creative forms. It also tells an engaging story about friendship, and the give and take necessary for successful play involving more than one participant. The book is simply designed, with lots of white space on the page, bold black typeface used for the text, and the blue and orange of its two characters/shapes arranged in interesting ways. Recommended to anyone looking for new and slightly different takes on the concept book devoted to shapes.
December 9, 2015
This book was pretty good. It has a message of teamwork and creativity, but my son a 2nd grader was confused how Little Curcle could become three half circles on the same page. This did seem to be an inconsistency as other times it looked like Circle couldn't cut itself into more pieces than one whole circle. Also, I have no idea why the book is titled Wednesday. Maybe there is a set of books and Little Circle and Big Square (or whatever their correct names are) do different things on each day of the week. Not sure, but I liked the voice of each of the shapes. I did not like the heavy, rough quality of the paper the book was printed on.
July 25, 2017
This is a beautifully simple book. Little Round and Big Square get together to create things out of their shapes. It amazes me how a book can have only two colors throughout and still stretch the imagination.
June 14, 2024
My co-worker read this for an art camp. It's simple but so inventive and fun!
September 9, 2014
Little Round and Big Square are the best of friends. Every week on Wednesday, they get together to play their favorite game: one of them says a word and they both transform into it. Big Square starts with “butterfly” and the two of them change into butterflies, Big Square with sharp angles and Little Round with half circles. They go through “flower” and “mushroom” until Big Square gets carried away and starts naming lots of different things all at once, things that Little Round can’t shift into. Soon the friends are arguing, but just like with any friendship there are rough patches and they both have to figure out how to fix it.
Done in just two colors, the dot and the square and the many shapes they make pop on the page, the blue and orange contrasting vibrantly on the white background. It is the illustrations that tell the story here, and the strong style they are done in is striking. Children will immediately relate to both the square and the circle. They may not have faces, but they convey emotions clearly on the page from anger to exuberance to friendship.
Strong and vibrant, this picture book translated from the French, is a great pick for units on friendship or shapes. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Done in just two colors, the dot and the square and the many shapes they make pop on the page, the blue and orange contrasting vibrantly on the white background. It is the illustrations that tell the story here, and the strong style they are done in is striking. Children will immediately relate to both the square and the circle. They may not have faces, but they convey emotions clearly on the page from anger to exuberance to friendship.
Strong and vibrant, this picture book translated from the French, is a great pick for units on friendship or shapes. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
September 22, 2016
Note: "Originally published in France by Éditions MeMo, Copyright © 2010 as Mercredi"--Colophon.
Subject:
Friendship -- Juvenile fiction
Play -- Juvenile fiction
Shapes -- Juvenile fiction.
Summary
Wednesday is a sweet story about two best friends, Little Round and Big Square. But it's also about what it is to really play imaginatively with another. Every Wednesday, our two friends get together to play. Sometimes they have some tough moments, like all true friends, but they mostly have the best time that two friends can ever have together! Illustrated in a strong, two-color graphic style, Wednesday has strong appeal for the youngest readers as well as for parents and teachers. Anne Bertier has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1995. She studied literature while attending mime courses at the Sylvia Monfort School. Her particular interests in creating art are composition and balance.
Author Notes
Anne Bertier: Anne Bertier has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1995. She studied literature while attending mime courses at the Sylvia Monfort School. Her particular interests in creating art are composition and balance.
Subject:
Friendship -- Juvenile fiction
Play -- Juvenile fiction
Shapes -- Juvenile fiction.
Summary
Wednesday is a sweet story about two best friends, Little Round and Big Square. But it's also about what it is to really play imaginatively with another. Every Wednesday, our two friends get together to play. Sometimes they have some tough moments, like all true friends, but they mostly have the best time that two friends can ever have together! Illustrated in a strong, two-color graphic style, Wednesday has strong appeal for the youngest readers as well as for parents and teachers. Anne Bertier has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1995. She studied literature while attending mime courses at the Sylvia Monfort School. Her particular interests in creating art are composition and balance.
Author Notes
Anne Bertier: Anne Bertier has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1995. She studied literature while attending mime courses at the Sylvia Monfort School. Her particular interests in creating art are composition and balance.
October 21, 2014
Age: Preschool-2nd grade
Math: Shapes, tangrams
Perfect for tangram extension activity
Flawless! Bertier presents Little Round and Big Square and their Wednesday play date where they play a game of follow the leader by calling out an object and dividing herself to make it. Soon the Big Square starts calling out things that Little Round cannot make, causing frustration for Round. When they decide to make things together, they soon find no end to their imagination. Although similar to Windblown in simplistic style and use of shapes, Bertier gives her shapes character and personality with a delightfully simple, and relatable, storyline. This book also invites listeners to interpret what they see, but is not so open-ended that children who need imagination nudges won't be able to enjoy the story. Pay attention to this one, teachers!
Math: Shapes, tangrams
Perfect for tangram extension activity
Flawless! Bertier presents Little Round and Big Square and their Wednesday play date where they play a game of follow the leader by calling out an object and dividing herself to make it. Soon the Big Square starts calling out things that Little Round cannot make, causing frustration for Round. When they decide to make things together, they soon find no end to their imagination. Although similar to Windblown in simplistic style and use of shapes, Bertier gives her shapes character and personality with a delightfully simple, and relatable, storyline. This book also invites listeners to interpret what they see, but is not so open-ended that children who need imagination nudges won't be able to enjoy the story. Pay attention to this one, teachers!
March 12, 2015
Wednesday
Little Round and
Big Blue Square,
Meet up Wednesdays
Fun they share!
Their favourite game
Is say a word
Transform themselves...
Why it's not unheard
To change into a butterfly,
A flower, mushroom,
Kite, oh my...
Big Square starts to break away
Starts showing off
Go its own way.
Little circle's not impressed,
It can't join in,
Becomes distressed.
A time out's needed
Each shape agrees
Then Little Round
Shouts out with glee....
"Together
We can make and play
Lots of things
Let's start today!"
The real good friends
With co-operation
Work in tandem
Showing admiration.
Each separate part
Can make a whole,
Just having fun
Is now their goal!
Little Round and
Big Blue Square,
Meet up Wednesdays
Fun they share!
Their favourite game
Is say a word
Transform themselves...
Why it's not unheard
To change into a butterfly,
A flower, mushroom,
Kite, oh my...
Big Square starts to break away
Starts showing off
Go its own way.
Little circle's not impressed,
It can't join in,
Becomes distressed.
A time out's needed
Each shape agrees
Then Little Round
Shouts out with glee....
"Together
We can make and play
Lots of things
Let's start today!"
The real good friends
With co-operation
Work in tandem
Showing admiration.
Each separate part
Can make a whole,
Just having fun
Is now their goal!
December 27, 2014
Two shapes, Little Round and Big Square, enjoy playing with each other and showing off the different things they can make. But after Little Round feels intimidated by everything that Big Square can do, their friendship is threatened until find a way to join forces and come up with even more creative shapes. This picture book from France reminds me in many ways of the tangrams that I used to use in my gifted classes in New Orleans. I like some of the creations more than others, possibly because I'm a purist, and some of these have been altered, and with tangrams, creators must simply manipulate the pieces to create different objects.
June 14, 2016
The cover of this one grabbed my attention, even though it is very plain, I liked the simplicity. We also love anything with shapes, and this is all about Little Round and Big Square. They get together to play their favorite game every Wednesday, which is making different figures. Square kind of takes over, and Little Round gets discouraged and no longer wants to play. They work things out and make even more incredible things! TOGETHER! Love the concepts, and this one definitely stretched the vocabulary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2015
Two shapes (a little orange circle and large blue square) challenge each other to make things (flower, butterfly, etc) from their own respective shapes. However, the large square can become far more things than the little circle, and it's not fair! In the end, the shapes find that they're better making shapes together. Very cool visually, and also a very subtle message about working together and sharing.
Also, the Illini/Bears colors don't hurt.
Also, the Illini/Bears colors don't hurt.
August 10, 2015
Menjelajahi imajinasi dari 2 bangun ruang 2d: kotak dan lingkaran. Duo bangun ruang yang memiliki kemampuan mengubah dan membongkar bentuknya. Kemampuan yang dapat menyerupai bentuk-bentuk benda sehari-hari secara imajinatif. "Combinatory play." bapak ilmuwan jenius, Einstein, menyebutnya.
Mudah untuk membuat suatu pekerjaan menjadi rumit. Namun, butuh kerja ekstra untuk membuatnya menjadi sederhana. Sama seperti dalam sebuah pertemanan dan atau rekanan.
Sangat suka di bagian 'I'.
Mudah untuk membuat suatu pekerjaan menjadi rumit. Namun, butuh kerja ekstra untuk membuatnya menjadi sederhana. Sama seperti dalam sebuah pertemanan dan atau rekanan.
Sangat suka di bagian 'I'.
November 28, 2014
Two friends try to one up one another until one walks away with hurt feelings. When they work together, though, they find they are happier than ever before.
I liked the inventive use of shapes to create other images. The shapes as characters really helped drive this book's message home and PreK-2 will enjoy hearing this read aloud.
I liked the inventive use of shapes to create other images. The shapes as characters really helped drive this book's message home and PreK-2 will enjoy hearing this read aloud.
July 10, 2017
Because this book revolves around geometry--possibly my least favorite subject in high school--I had a twinge of resistance when I picked it up.
No, NO, not the shapes!!
But I was curious and, in the end, enjoyed reading it. It was cute, I can say, as long as I don't think about the tangrams too much.
No, NO, not the shapes!!
But I was curious and, in the end, enjoyed reading it. It was cute, I can say, as long as I don't think about the tangrams too much.
September 9, 2014
This is a great book about shapes and the different abstract concepts that can come out of a single circle and square. There is also the idea of friendship and camaraderie that comes from playing games together.
September 23, 2014
The little stickler voice in my head wishes that each time Square breaks up into different shapes to form pictures with his pal Circle, those shapes would add up to the original square, but this book is so fun and inventive I'm going to tell that voice to shut up.
October 5, 2015
Fun little book. The preschoolers loved it, and I love books that allow for guessing game activities, as this one did. It also works for introducing talking about shapes. I also appreciate the social messages of working together and being inclusive!
December 14, 2014
Not quite a wordless book, but the pictures are more important than the words.
Not quite growth mindset, but I don't have a tag for collaboration or compromise, which are both as important as perseverance.
Not quite growth mindset, but I don't have a tag for collaboration or compromise, which are both as important as perseverance.
June 13, 2015
What a sweet, thoughtful book about shapes who learn to work together to make more dynamic creations :) I taught this work in my radical picture book course, and the college students (mainly math/geometry-minded) really liked it.
November 6, 2014
I like the simplicity of the page and the story. It has a very retro 3 colour feel to the book. Not hugely exciting but dependable and interesting to look at.
December 23, 2014
Two shapes make objects separately, but come up with even more amazing things when they work together.
February 17, 2015
Shapes taking shape...friends getting along...and not...coming together to make more fun.
Sometimes you just know a book is perfect for teaching concepts to children of a very young age.
Sometimes you just know a book is perfect for teaching concepts to children of a very young age.
November 17, 2015
This is a different book about two shapes who are friends and are figuring out how to play together given their different characteristics. My five-year-old liked it.
August 21, 2019
I've not understood why this book is not a staple for early childhood teachers everywhere, as it offers so many provocations and ideas. The most obvious of these is the introduction to shapes, with high-quality vocabulary, set within a relatable dilemma and narrative. These can easily be extended into craft and play activities.
However, there is so much more. For example, the title of the book is curious, and can be used to explore days of the week, and ideas about how things move in cycles. The conflict and problem-solving of the two characters, also provides a strong supplement to any social-emotional curriculum.
I know that the shapes don't always divide logically (for example, Little Circle is sometimes seen as three semi-circles), which can be a bit jarring for those who like things to be "right". However, when this came up in my group, we used it as an opportunity to invite creative problem-solving and thinking outside the box. The dreamers among the children found it quite plausible that Little Circle simply copied himself, or invited his brother.
One of the things I love most about this book is that it is also such a strong prompt for sociodramatic play. After a few readings, we then re-tell (and re-create) the story orally - using magnet shapes on the white board. Sometimes I have done this in small groups, but often we do as a whole group pantomime-style. The children take on different characters, and experiment with the problem solving so beautifully modelled by Little Circle and Big Sqaure. Sometimes we add extra shapes (middle Triangle, for example) - and working in groups of three, the creativity flows!!!
All of these activities could be adapted for a wide range of ages.
An absolutely gorgeous book that deserves much wider use than it gets.
However, there is so much more. For example, the title of the book is curious, and can be used to explore days of the week, and ideas about how things move in cycles. The conflict and problem-solving of the two characters, also provides a strong supplement to any social-emotional curriculum.
I know that the shapes don't always divide logically (for example, Little Circle is sometimes seen as three semi-circles), which can be a bit jarring for those who like things to be "right". However, when this came up in my group, we used it as an opportunity to invite creative problem-solving and thinking outside the box. The dreamers among the children found it quite plausible that Little Circle simply copied himself, or invited his brother.
One of the things I love most about this book is that it is also such a strong prompt for sociodramatic play. After a few readings, we then re-tell (and re-create) the story orally - using magnet shapes on the white board. Sometimes I have done this in small groups, but often we do as a whole group pantomime-style. The children take on different characters, and experiment with the problem solving so beautifully modelled by Little Circle and Big Sqaure. Sometimes we add extra shapes (middle Triangle, for example) - and working in groups of three, the creativity flows!!!
All of these activities could be adapted for a wide range of ages.
An absolutely gorgeous book that deserves much wider use than it gets.
June 24, 2018
Called Wednesday because the two shapes play games together on Wednesday.
The games they play are about making things (individually or together) out of themselves.
It's cool the way they break into pieces to make different designs.
I thing big square cheats sometimes by not using all of himself.
Would be fun to play along by starting with a bunch of copies of big square and little circle and a pair of scissors and try to duplicate what they do.
The games they play are about making things (individually or together) out of themselves.
It's cool the way they break into pieces to make different designs.
I thing big square cheats sometimes by not using all of himself.
Would be fun to play along by starting with a bunch of copies of big square and little circle and a pair of scissors and try to duplicate what they do.
December 4, 2017
When we share we can unite the power of two or more things to create something bigger and better. This book shows how Little and Big had different talents, but one of them was bigger and could do more, however when he united with Little he became better and could do more things.
February 9, 2019
I read this to a group of 3 year olds with hesitation; I didn’t know if this would bore them. Well it kept their attention and by the end they were super excited about the ice cream & other forms made by circle and square.
January 30, 2018
circle and square play together. They get mad but then they figure out a game they can both play.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews