Circle Round by Annie Sibley O’Brien, illustrated by Hanna Cha; Charlesbridge, 2021.

On this playground, inclusion is the name of the game. The bold illustrations, done in ink on watercolor paper colored digitally, pair with lively text to convey the joy of connection. Join one child in a monochromatic opening, then two. Gradually, as more and more children are welcomed, the spreads brighten, culminating in a circle of friends awash with vibrancy and spirit. Count along in this celebration of friendship in play.

Why this Book? Why will it matter to kids?

For preschool and primary children, the playground is often the center for learning about sharing, compromise, empathy, inclusion, and the satisfaction of accomplishment. It can also be a catalyst for connection and an inspiration for inclusion. All it takes is an awareness of the power of a wave, a smile, a shared space.

Levels and Layers of Learning

Grade level: Pre-K-Grade 2

Social-Emotional Learning Themes Acceptance, community, compassion, connection, creativity, empathy, encouragement, inclusion, inspiration, passion, perspective, resilience, resourcefulness, respect, self-assurance, self-awareness, self-management, self-reliance, tenacity, understanding

Illustration © Hanna Cha

Using This Book in the Classroom

Hit the Ground Running Ready Resources for Educators, Homeschoolers, and Parents

Consider reading  aloud this simple counting book with a big message prior to heading to the playground.

Role play. Have students act out the book, taking the parts of the characters in the story. Then move beyond the book to elicit additional ways kids can connect with others on the playground.

Gather in a circle and discuss how a circle connects us. How can we make our circle friendly? How can we welcome others into our circle? How does our circle help us learn and grow?

Illustration © Hanna Cha

Write Away! Ideas to prompt writing

Throughout Circle Round, O’Brien has chosen active, vivid verbs to convey acts of inclusion. Reread the book, asking students to identify the action words. Then have students add to the book by writing their own sentences using vivid verbs to describe an action that invites another child to join the group. Illustrate the sentences from the book and those created by students and post in a circle around the room.

Have students write responses to: What will I do the next time I am on the playground? How will I circle round? This can be done as a group brainstorm session with all responses recorded by the teacher, or as an individual assignment.

Poetry Break Related poetry to recite before or following the reading of this book

Poetry breaks fit perfectly into brief moments in the day—from opening or closing the day to lining up for lunch; from zipping up backpacks and jackets to transitioning from one subject to the next. Reading a poem typically takes less than a minute, yet it can introduce or reinforce a concept, celebrate language, exemplify rhythm, enhance vocabulary, expand understanding, increase attention span, initiate reflection, or summon a giggle. And, poetry soothes the spirit.

Pair Circle Round with poems about friendship, playgrounds,  and school. Suggestions include: 

• “Best Friends” by Irene Latham; This Poem Is A Nest by Irene Latham, illustrated by Johanna Wright
• The New Kid on the Block, poems by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson

And Then There’s This… Enrichment activities, related books, craft projects, and ideas for further study

Explore the math throughout this counting book, including the shapes. Follow with a read-aloud of Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.

Head to the playground! Play the games enjoyed in the book. Invent new ones. Arrange a scavenger hunt. Circle round!

As author Anne Sibley O’Brien suggests, use Circle Round as the springboard for a discussion of human differences and commonalities, exclusion and inclusion.

Related Recommended Reads:

• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
• The Big Umbrella written and illustrated by Amy June Bates, co-written by Juniper Bates
• Change Sings by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loren Long
• Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim
• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López
• Hello! A Welcoming Story by Gina K. Lewis, illustrated by María José Campos 
• I Am One: A Book of Action by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
• I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien. See also, Someone New.
• The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Patrice Barton
• Our Class Is a Family by Shannon Olsen, illustrated by Sandie Sonke
• Say Hello by Jack Foreman and Michael Foreman
• Say Hello! by Linda Davick
• Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
• Sweet People Are Everywhere by Alice Walker illustrated by Quim Torres
• You Matter by Christian Robinson

Meet the Author

Anne Sibley O’Brien is a children’s book creator who has created thirty-eight books, some of which she wrote, some of which she illustrated, and some of which she wrote and illustrated, including I’m New Here (2015) and Someone New (2018), companion titles about three immigrant children and their new classmates. In addition to creating books, she has been involved for many years in anti-racism and diversity education and leadership training. She is a cofounder of two projects featuring diverse books: I’m Your Neighbor Books and the Diverse BookFinder. Her passion for multiracial, multicultural, and global subjects grew out of her experience being raised bilingual and bicultural in South Korea as the daughter of medical workers. She lives on an island in Maine. Learn more on her website. 

Backstory: Q & A with Anne Sibley O’Brien

Anne graciously gave of her time to answer a few questions about the writing of Circle Round as well as her career creating books for children.

Judy Bradbury: How did you come to write CircleRound? What kernel seeded its creation?

Anne Sibley O’Brien: The day after my grandson Taemin (our first grandchild) was born in April 2014, I began reading to him. Maine has a wonderful program called Raising Readers which provides books for every child in the state at birth, and a single title thereafter at every well-child doctor’s visit until age five. So we began with that bag of books hanging on the rocking chair in my daughter’s hospital room. Within the next week, I had ten new ideas for picture books, as if my new identity as grandmother (Halmoni in Korean) had opened a new pathway in my brain. One of those ideas was a concept book about circles.

In May of 2018 I signed up for National Picture Book Writing Week, created and hosted by author Paula Yoo. I completed the first draft during that week.

JB: Tell about one hurdle you experienced in the creation of Circle Round or provide a memorable (or humorous!) anecdote related to the creation of this book.

ASO: When Circle Round was accepted for publication, I was ambivalent about illustrating it. I talked with my editor and agent, and I played around with it a bit during the summer of 2018, but it just wasn’t going anywhere special. I decided that the book would be better served by someone else’s vision—and I was right.

That fall my Charlesbridge editor and art director began the search for an illustrator, which is how we got to—ta da!—Hanna Cha! I’m thrilled with the way she built on the simple foundation I provided, inventing a delightful cast of characters, and expanding and deepening the narrative content of the story: a true collaboration.

Looking back, I’m glad I ran into that hurdle.

JB: What did you learn from writing Circle Round?

ASO: This is the simplest text I’ve ever written—it only has thirty-eight words. (It’s even shorter than the board books that were my first published works.) It was fascinating to discover how much could be conveyed with such spare language. But the book defined itself early. It wasn’t a process of writing a lot and then cutting it; the economy seemed to be inherent in the concept.

JB: The theme of Circle Round is inclusion. How did you decide what to emphasize or portray in this affirming picture book?

ASO: From the beginning, my vision was of a truly multiracial group of children playing together with circles, and eventually creating one themselves. I love the way that Hanna drew characters with individual looks and personalities, not types. She expanded the variety of differences portrayed. For instance, I had a child in a wheelchair, but she added a child with hearing aids and another with a service dog.

There was always a child outside the circle who got asked to join, but we (author, illustrator, editor, and art director) played around with when that character appeared and when they were seen and invited in. (Look for some of the yet-to-be introduced children in the background on the first spread.)

JB: What do you hope readers will take away from Circle Round?

ASO: How powerful it is to simply reach out and invite someone to join in. And how wonderful it is when we can think of activities that everyone can be part of.

JB: How do you see Circle Round connecting to curriculum?

ASO: There are so many possibilities: from math with numbers and shapes, to wordplay with verbs, to scavenger hunts and games involving circles, to social-emotional learning discussions about human differences and commonalities, exclusion and inclusion.

JB: What would surprise readers to learn about you or about the writing of Circle Round?

ASO: That I live on a real island that you have to take a ferry to get to—it’s a 20-minute boat ride from Portland, Maine. The island is five miles in circumference, with about nine hundred residents year-round (and about 10,000 on the 4th-of-July weekend!), including quite a few other writers, artists, and children’s books people. We’ve lived here in the same cottage for 41 years this month.

JB: What is one question you wish I had asked, and what is your answer?

ASO: Q: To whom did you dedicate the book?

A: To my granddaughter, just turned two: “To Yuna, who completes our circle.”

JB: What’s next?

ASO: I have a completed picture book manuscript, another concept book — but this one has around 700 words. I gathered language and images for three or four years until the text coalesced this past spring. Now I have to find the art. This time I know I need to illustrate it, but I also know I haven’t yet gotten to the visual voice that the images require. So who knows, that could take another three or four years to complete!

About the Illustrator of Circle Round

Learn more about illustrator and writer Hanna Cha who has “an affinity for soft washes, narrative and light.”

Over to You…

Join the conversation! Offer your thoughts on the featured question related to this month’s post in the comments section below. You are also welcome to post a comment related to this month’s book. Thanks for sharing!

What is your favorite picture book that celebrates inclusion? 

News & Updates

I’m delighted to be participating on a panel discussing “Get Hooked on Chapter Books: Mysteries, Nonfiction, and Humor” with James Preller, Michelle Knudsen, and Laurie Calkhoven as part of Kids’ Books Roc, the virtual edition this year of the famed Rochester Children’s Book Festival, taking place on November 6 from 10am-5pm. It’s free! Check out the amazing roster of authors and illustrators who will be in attendance and the schedule of events, and be sure to register to attend the Festival! Our panel will go live from 2-3 PM. 

Find information on all my upcoming events.

Final Thought