The Wing on a Flea: A Book about Shapes

A pair of reissued books makes available the launches of two significant careers. The Wing on a Flea: A Book About Shapes, Ed Emberley's first book, published in 1961, makes an affable companion to his playful yet instructive series of drawing books. His breezy, rhyming text and cheerful visuals invite kids to explore the concept of shapes. More subtly, aspiring artists can follow Emberley's example of using basic shapes to create more complex pictures. Black pages effectively show off the bold, primary colors and shiny, gold leaf accents of the deceptively simple pictures. (Sept.)