Sumo Shapes

by Sanae Ishida

Perfect for early learning, this fun board book in the Little Sumo series, from the creator of the Little Kunoichi series, features sumo wrestlers that introduce children to different shapes, and shares elements of Japanese culture that will enrich readers of all ages.

Take a peek into the lives of sumo wrestlers in this adorable book about shapes! Simple, charming scenes with sumo wrestlers help young readers learn different shapes, such as square, circle, pentagon, and crescent. The Japanese word that corresponds to the English word for each shape is included.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

22 pages, Board book

Published September 6, 2022

About the author

Sanae Ishida writes, draws, sews, and takes photos almost every day. In addition to writing and illustrating books for kids, she's written several books on sewing. She lives with her husband and daughter in Seattle, Washington. It's possible that she and her daughter have too many handmade clothes.

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Children's Book that I read to my twin boys. This book was so much fun to read. There was not a lot to it, but it was a big learning and fun time. Each of the pages has one shapes name like square then that word in Japanese, and I used google translator to hear to word in Japanese. My kids loved hearing the word in Japanese after I said it in English. Very fun and cute book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.


The little sumo characters are back! This time it high time to learn those shapes in very fun ways! I am so excited to be able to read this. Last year I reviewed the first two books: Sumo Counting and Sumo Opposites, loving both of the books and hoping with all hope that there would be new books. After a year, they are here, and I hope that next year brings more~

In this delightful sumo book we learn all about shapes. From squares to pentagons to rectangles, all the basic shapes are present! And just like the previous books we get a fun scene featuring that shape in a prominent place. Unlike the colour book it is not a whole page featuring that colour, instead we have on the left side the shape + word/language lesson and then on the right we get the scene with the shape. Once again though like the other books it is Japan-based. We see them eat Japanese style food, sleep (and dream) on a futon, try out kimono/yukata. I had great fun seeing what would be next with this book. Each page was a fun surprise.

Just like the other three books, love love love the extra addition of the language lesson. Each shape comes with the word in Japanese (Japanese alphabet, been too long that I know which one it is/romaji). For instance square (aka the wrestling square) is shikaku or しかく. Just an extra bonus and it is perfect! OH and this book even has something extra! It has a Words to Know at the end and features some of the things we saw in the pictures and what their names are.

The art was once again superfun. I just love these little sumo wrestlers~

I would highly recommend this book to all! This is a perfect book for parents and children and I think it would be a great series to add to a school library.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great way to learn about shapes, colors, and other cultures. I wish there explanations on how to say the Japanese words, but I can look them up before our next reading.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

These adorable board books introduce babies to colors and shapes, as seen in the world of sumo! Plump, pink-cheeked little wrestlers dressed in traditional mawashi go about their day seeing the sights, swimming, playing, doing Karaoke and getting ready to wrestle in their sumo-beya, or house. Each spread showcases a color or shape, with the English and Japanese word and the corresponding romaji. The illustrations look like watercolors, and are immensely cute, like the rikishi themselves, using bright washes of color and simple shapes. Sumo Colors ends with the colors of the rainbow; Sumo Shapes ends with a “Words to Know” spread showing food, apparel, clothing and other facets of a Sumo wrestler’s life. Too cute for words!

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This colorful title introduces little ones to a wide variety of shapes, everything from ovals to stars. Each shape word appears in both English and Japanese. There is also a section at the end of the book with an explanation for each shape’s illustration. For example, the circle is a sumo wrestling ring.

The Sumo series provides nice, easy learning for young ones. Take a look at the other titles as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sasquatch Books Little Bigfoot for this title.

Pub date: 27 September 2022

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun way to learn about Japanese culture. It’s a baby book that looks at shapes. It gives the English word and the Japanese word both written in English and written in Japanese. Each shape is represented somehow within the sumo culture. At the end there are other important Japanese words and cultural items to learn about. Overall, this is a great baby book fun for rereading over and over again.

[Elles_shelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sumo Shapes by Sanae Ishida is a picture book illustrated with adorable sumo wrestlers. The book has one word/ picture on each page with the opposite word on the page beside it. What makes this book different is that the words are in English and Japanese. I’ve seen other bilingual books, but not one that was on English and Japanese. This is a great way to introduce shapes to young children while also exposing them to Japanese culture. I will be adding this to my classroom language arts library.

[Lellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute children's book with very nice illustrations. I like that the words are written in hiragana/katakana as well as romaji and the English equivalent. I loved Japanese when I was little, so I would have enjoyed these. Great for families trying to raise their children bilingually or for elementary libraries!

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Elizabeth Seibel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I teach 5th grade, my students will enjoy this book. It is a great read for all ages. The colors are vivid and the illustrations are adorable. Learning the Japanese names for each of the shapes and other aspects of Japanese culture makes me want to get this book for my classroom. Thank you #netgalley for giving me a copy of this book.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains “words to know” page at the end highlighting items from the illustrations and how they are part of Japanese and sumo culture.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was more interested in squishing my Momma’s fingers between the pages. But Momma said we’ll read it again because it’s a fun way to learn shapes, colors, and the Japanese culture.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute way for learning shapes!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multiple shapes, with the shape, different colors, and the word in English, Japanese, and in kanji. Also includes some Japanese words that are shaped like the different shapes discussed in the back.

[Vyv V · Rating 5 out of 5]

even better than Sumo Opposites