Shapetastic Shenanigans™
Where shapes come to life.
A story-driven geometry collection that turns every shape into a personality, a pattern, and a piece of the world children already live in. Cirra Roundling rolls her way through her day. Squibby Quibble marches in a perfect parade. Trixie Tri-Topple gets tangled in her corners. Shapes stop being abstractions and start being characters children spot everywhere.
More Than Shapes
This collection helps children recognize shapes as part of the world around them, not just figures on a page.
✨ Did You Know?
Synaptic density peaks at age 2, then begins selective pruning. The connections used most often survive. Stories, songs, and conversation decide which connections stay forever.
✨ Did You Know?
When a parent narrates daily life ~ “we are walking to the park, the leaves are red, the squirrel is fast” ~ a child absorbs roughly 2x the vocabulary of peers in silent households.
What This Collection Does
Most children meet shapes on flashcards, trace them quietly, and then never see them again until geometry class warns them to. Shapetastic Shenanigans was built for something different ~ a world where shapes show up as characters, get into playful trouble, and show children that the built world is made of friends in disguise.
Children begin to see shapes everywhere ~ the windows, the pizza, the stop sign, the stars. What once felt flat becomes full of personality and possibility.
Parents and educators gain a vocabulary for play ~ ‘can you find a triangle?’ becomes a walk around the block instead of a flashcard grind.
Families and classrooms discover spatial reasoning as joy ~ building, noticing, arranging, and rearranging become natural parts of learning, not skills that have to be forced.
✨ Did You Know?
Spatial reasoning predicts STEM success better than verbal IQ. It begins with shapes a child can play with.
Why Spatial Reasoning Is The Hidden Superpower
Spatial reasoning predicts STEM career success better than verbal IQ, math grades, or even early test scores. It is the most under-taught literacy in modern early childhood, and the most important one nobody is talking about.
Architects, surgeons, engineers, and designers share one childhood trait: they noticed shapes longer than their peers. They played, they wondered, they fit shapes together in stories long before geometry class.
Shape vocabulary in preschool is the strongest single predictor of geometry confidence in middle school. The kids who fall in love with shapes early are the kids who solve hard problems later. We are giving every child that head start, through mischief and rhyme.
12 Weeks Of Spatial Training Doubled Engineering Retention.
In the 1990s, Dr. Sheryl Sorby at Michigan Tech noticed that engineering students who failed visualization tests in their first year were leaving the major in droves. She designed a 12-week intervention: students drew, rotated, sliced, and folded shapes in their minds and on paper. The results were so dramatic the National Science Foundation expanded the program nationally.
Sorby’s follow-up research found something even more important: spatial reasoning is the single biggest predictor of who pursues and succeeds in STEM ~ stronger than verbal IQ, math grades, or test scores. And it is teachable. The earlier you start, the larger the gains.
“Spatial skill is a learnable literacy. Most schools just don’t teach it.”
Dr. Sheryl Sorby · Michigan Technological University
How To Grow A Future Architect, Surgeon, Or Engineer ~ Starting At Age 3
Spatial reasoning is the most under-taught literacy in modern early childhood. Here is how each adult can help.
For Parents & Family
Spatial play is free, ancient, and three minutes a day matters.
- Block play before age 5 is one of the strongest predictors of high school math achievement. Buy the blocks. Sit on the floor with them.
- Use spatial language in daily life: “the cup is BEHIND the bowl, BETWEEN the plate and the napkin.” Direction words wire the spatial brain.
- Read shape and pattern books with rotation, symmetry, fractions visualized as pies.
- Let your child arrange furniture, fold laundry, set the table. All spatial reasoning in disguise.
- Puzzle nights. Maps. Origami. Tangrams. The boring-sounding stuff is the heaviest brain-building.
For STEM Teachers (K-12)
Adding 5 minutes of spatial work daily measurably moves the needle.
- Open every math class with a 5-minute spatial puzzle. Mental rotation, paper folding, mirror images.
- Make geometry concrete before symbolic. Hand a child a hexagon before asking them to name its angles.
- Teach drawing as STEM, not just art. Sketching a 3D object onto a 2D page IS spatial reasoning training.
- Bring physical manipulatives back into middle and high school. The hands lead the brain on spatial tasks.
- Track which students struggle with mental rotation early. They are the ones the Sorby intervention saves.
For Engineers, Architects & STEM Mentors
You think spatially every day. A child watching you spatial-think is a child being trained.
- Sketch in front of children. The act of drawing-to-think is one of the most powerful demonstrations a child can witness.
- Bring kids to the work site, the lab, the studio. Spatial vocabulary forms in spatial environments.
- Volunteer in elementary classrooms. Engineers reading shape stories to first graders is a force multiplier.
- Mentor girls and underrepresented kids specifically. Spatial confidence has the largest gender gap in early STEM ~ and the most reversible one.
- Demystify your work. “I solve puzzles all day” is more accurate than “I do engineering.”
For Occupational Therapists
You are often the first to see spatial-processing differences. You are also the best-equipped to address them.
- Build spatial play into therapy: blocks, maze-tracing, fold-and-cut activities, mirror-image matching.
- Coach parents that “clumsy” can be spatial-processing immaturity, not just motor coordination.
- Use shape-themed stories during sessions. Story-bound therapy disguises the work as joy.
- Watch for spatial-vocabulary gaps. A child who cannot say “between” or “behind” is often a child who cannot SEE between or behind.
- Bridge to teachers and parents. Spatial OT goals carried into the classroom and home dramatically accelerate gains.
Shapes That Step Out Of The Page And Into The Brain.
Every Shapetastic story is engineered, deliberately, around the principles of Sorby’s intervention: rotation, transformation, perspective shift, and mischief that requires the reader to picture what is happening in three dimensions.
A child who has spent 50 evenings reading Shapetastic books has done 50 mental rotations, 50 perspective shifts, 50 attempts to picture what a shape would look like upside down. That is the Sorby intervention, hidden inside laughter, before kindergarten.
We are not trying to raise engineers. We are trying to keep every child’s spatial brain alive long enough for them to choose.
The Science Behind the Shapes
• Spatial reasoning developed in early childhood is one of the strongest predictors of future STEM achievement ~ stronger, in some studies, than early arithmetic ability.
• The brain processes shape and pattern recognition through different neural pathways than language, which is why visual, story-based learning often reaches children who struggle with purely verbal instruction.
• Play-based geometry ~ stacking, sorting, comparing, and arranging ~ builds the same executive-function skills that later support reading comprehension, problem-solving, and self-regulation.
✨ Did You Know?
Architects, surgeons, and engineers all share one childhood trait: they noticed shapes longer than their peers. We are giving every child that head start.
Inside the World of Shapes
Each book brings a shape to life through antics, adventure, and unmistakable personality. Children meet Cirra the Rolling Circle, Squibby the Square of the Perfect Parade, Stella Spinklebeam the Sparkle Star, Cubie Blockleton the solid-grooved cube ~ and suddenly geometry has a sense of humor.
Over time, children start spotting their shape-friends in the wild ~ and the built world begins to feel less mysterious and more meet-able.
Four Series, Thirty Shapes
EACH GROUP OPENS A NEW DOORWAY INTO SPACE AND STRUCTURE
Series One
The Foundational 2D
Meet the Everyday Shapes
Cirra the Circle, Ollivie the Oval, Trixie the Triangle, Squibby the Square, Rex the Rectangle, and Dima the Diamond. The starter cast every child begins with ~ each arriving with a personality, a pattern, and a place in everyday life.
Series Two
The Special 2D
Explore the Unexpected
Stella the Star, Hennie the Heart, Pippy the Pentagon, Hexie the Hexagon, Octa the Octagon, and Crilla the Crescent. Shapes that show up in skies, on birthday cakes, inside honeycombs ~ each earning its own story.
Series Three
The 3D Foundations
Step Into Space
Sphero the Sphere, Hemi the Hemisphere, Ellie the Ellipsoid, Cyra the Cylinder, Connie the Cone, Perry the Pyramid, Trina the Triangular Prism, and Cubie the Cube. The first dimension where shapes get solid.
Series Four
The 3D Builders
Construct the World
Rico the Rectangular Prism, Penny the Pentagonal Prism, Hexa the Hexagonal Prism, Pyro the Hexagonal Pyramid, Otto the Octahedron, Tavi the Torus, and Prentice the Pentagram. The shapes that build the world children live inside of. 2 review books.
The Foundational 2D
Coming Soon
START HERE
Cirra Roundling's Rolling Day
Circle · Coming Soon
Cirra Roundling rolls through a day where everything turns, spins, and circles back. Children meet the circle as the friendliest, steadiest shape in the whole wide world.
Coming Soon
Ollivie Oopsalot's Wobbly Wonder
Oval · Coming Soon
Ollivie Oopsalot wobbles her way through a day where nothing is quite round and nothing is quite long. Children meet the oval as a shape full of graceful in-betweens.
Coming Soon
Trixie Tri-Topple's Tangly Adventure
Triangle · Coming Soon
Trixie Tri-Topple gets tangled in her own three corners ~ and untangles into a shape children can spot on every rooftop, pennant, and pizza slice.
Coming Soon
Squibby Quibble's Perfect Square Parade
Square · Coming Soon
Squibby Quibble marches in a perfect square parade, four sides long. Children learn that the square is the steady backbone of the built world.
Coming Soon
Rex Tangle's Long and Lovely Lane
Rectangle · Coming Soon
Rex Tangle stretches into a long and lovely lane that takes children past doors, books, and picture frames ~ all of them quietly rectangular.
Coming Soon
Dima Dazzletwist's Diagonal Daydream
Diamond / Rhombus · Coming Soon
Dima Dazzletwist dances her diagonal daydream. Children meet a shape that’s just a square on a charming tilt ~ and learn to spot diamonds in kites, signs, and stars.
The Special 2D
Coming Soon
START HERE
Stella Spinklebeam's Sparkle Star Stomp
Star · Coming Soon
Stella Spinklebeam sparkles through a starlit stomp where every point of her body sends light in a different direction. Children meet the star as a shape of celebration.
Coming Soon
Hennie Hugglebud's Hug-A-Heart Hop
Heart · Coming Soon
Hennie Hugglebud’s hug-a-heart hop shows children that a heart shape isn’t just for valentines ~ it’s the shape of love, kindness, and everything that beats.
Coming Soon
Pippy Pentafoot's Pointy Path Parade
Pentagon · Coming Soon
Pippy Pentafoot takes children on a pointy path parade with five careful sides. A story about one more than four ~ and why that one extra side changes everything.
Coming Soon
Hexie Hummabean's Sweet-Sided Song
Hexagon · Coming Soon
Hexie Hummabean hums a sweet-sided song in six-part harmony. Children meet the hexagon as nature’s favorite shape ~ the one honeybees agreed on ages ago.
Coming Soon
Octa Stopalot's Pause-and-Go Glow
Octagon · Coming Soon
Octa Stopalot’s pause-and-go glow is the reason stop signs are shaped the way they are. Children meet the octagon as the world’s quiet traffic conductor.
Coming Soon
Crilla Moonsway's Moonlight Meander
Crescent · Coming Soon
Crilla Moonsway guides children through a moonlight meander where every curve of the crescent whispers a secret. A gentle bedtime shape.
Coming Soon
The Great 2D Shape Parade
2D Review · Coming Soon
Every flat-shape friend children have met shows up for one grand 2D Parade. A review story that reinforces the whole 2D cast in one celebratory romp.
The 3D Foundations
Coming Soon
START HERE
Sphero Bounciful's Rolling Razzmatazz
Sphere · Coming Soon
Sphero Bounciful rolls in every direction at once ~ and shows children that a sphere is a circle that grew up into three dimensions. Balls, bubbles, planets.
Coming Soon
Hemi Smushleton's Half-and-Happy Glide
Hemisphere · Coming Soon
Hemi Smushleton glides on half of himself and shows children that sometimes half of a shape is a shape all its own. Bowls, domes, umbrellas ~ all hemispheres waiting to be named.
Coming Soon
Ellie Ellybean's Elegant Ellipsoid Sway
Ellipsoid · Coming Soon
Ellie Ellybean sways through an ellipsoid day of eggs, footballs, and grapes. Children meet the egg-cousin of the sphere.
Coming Soon
Cyra Cylindria's Stack-and-Spin Spectacular
Cylinder · Coming Soon
Cyra Cylindria stacks and spins her way through a spectacular day of cans, drums, and candles. Children learn to see the cylinder hiding inside half the kitchen.
Coming Soon
Connie Conelet's Swirly-Sweet Stand
Cone · Coming Soon
Connie Conelet stands tall and swirls sweet ~ the shape of ice cream, party hats, and pine trees. A story about why some shapes point up.
Coming Soon
Perry Pointenpeak's Pyramid Parade
Pyramid · Coming Soon
Perry Pointenpeak paraded his four-sided peak across a desert of wonders. Children meet the pyramid as the shape of monuments, mountains, and morning tents.
Coming Soon
Trina Trianglebeam's Prism-Peak Trek
Triangular Prism · Coming Soon
Trina Trianglebeam treks up a prism-peak trail where every cross-section is a triangle. Children meet a shape that blends triangle and rectangle into one bright body.
Coming Soon
Cubie Blockleton's Solid Groove Square
Cube · Coming Soon
Cubie Blockleton grooves through a solid-sided day of blocks, boxes, and building. Children meet the cube as the shape that holds almost everything they own.
The 3D Builders
Coming Soon
START HERE
Rico Rectanguloid's Right-Angle Run
Rectangular Prism · Coming Soon
Rico Rectanguloid runs right-angle routes through cereal boxes, bricks, and bedrooms. Children meet the cube’s taller, longer cousin.
Coming Soon
Penny Pentaprism's Five-Facet Fiesta
Pentagonal Prism · Coming Soon
Penny Pentaprism throws a five-facet fiesta. Children meet a shape that took the pentagon and stretched it into 3D, one celebratory pane at a time.
Coming Soon
Hexa Prismadoo's Hexy Harmony Hop
Hexagonal Prism · Coming Soon
Hexa Prismadoo hops a hexy harmony through crystals, pencils, and honeycomb halls. Children meet a shape with six sides and twice the rhythm.
Coming Soon
Pyro Peakapoint's Sky-High Climb
Hexagonal Pyramid · Coming Soon
Pyro Peakapoint climbs a sky-high peak with six triangular sides sloping to a single point. Children meet one of geometry’s most dramatic shapes.
Coming Soon
Otto Octabrick's Angular Escapade
Octahedron · Coming Soon
Otto Octabrick takes children on an angular escapade through a shape with eight faces ~ a double-pyramid, joined at the waist.
Coming Soon
Tavi Twizzlem's Loop-De-Loop Day
Torus · Coming Soon
Tavi Twizzlem loops and loops through a donut-shaped day. Children learn that a torus is a shape with a hole in the middle ~ and that the hole is kind of the whole point.
Coming Soon
Prentice Prismatica's Star-Shape Spectacular
Pentagram · Coming Soon
Prentice Prismatica’s star-shape spectacular brings the magic of the five-pointed star into three dimensions. Children meet the showstopper of the cast.
Coming Soon
The Grand 3D Shape Celebration
3D Review · Coming Soon
Every solid-shape friend children have met gathers for one grand 3D Celebration. A review story that reinforces the whole 3D cast.
Coming Soon
The Grand 2D + 3D Shape Adventure
Complete Review · Coming Soon
The grand 2D + 3D adventure brings every Shapetastic friend ~ flat and solid ~ together. A capstone story that proves shape is everywhere children look. Enforcing the education learned from all the books read in this collection.
Start the Journey
Every story helps your child understand how shapes create, connect, and form everything they see. Start with Shapetastic Shenanigans and let the adventure begin.
How The Magic Works
The Science Behind the Stories
01
Meet The Shape
Each shape becomes a character with a name, a face, and a personality all its own. Circle. Triangle. Hexagon. Ellipse. These aren’t flashcards or geometry drills ~ they are entry points into spatial awareness, symmetry, and the secret patterns hiding in the everyday world.
02
Watch It Play
Stories show the shape doing its real work ~ rolling, stacking, tiling, fitting, tipping, bouncing, and showing up exactly where its corners and curves belong. Children see how shape makes the world work, one shenanigan at a time.
03
Recognize It In The World
When shapes show up in real life, children finally have friends for them. They can say “look, a whole family of Hexagons!” or “that roof is a Triangle on a vacation,” and suddenly noticing becomes naming ~ and naming becomes the first quiet muscle of geometric thinking.
✨ Did You Know?
Eye contact during read-aloud activates the same neural systems as language learning itself. Looking at the book together is part of the lesson, not the wrapper.
Extend The Learning
Additional materials designed to support and deepen understanding beyond the story.
Every book in the series comes with companion resources designed to deepen understanding and spark conversation.
Printable Activity Packs
Hands-on activities that reinforce learning through drawing, writing, and creative play.— one per book.
Reflection Prompts
Thoughtful prompts that help children connect each story to their own experiences and environment.
Parent & Educator Guides
Conversation starters and context for adults to guide children through each story's themes.
Free Companion Worksheets
Character cards, Quotes, & Coloring Sheets that help the lesson land and last. hese are included in the Paid for Activityy Packs.
✨ Did You Know?
Shape vocabulary in preschool predicts geometry confidence in middle school. We are building it through mischief.
When Shapes Start To Click
As children engage with these stories, they begin to notice shapes and patterns in the world around them. What once felt abstract becomes something they can see, understand, and use.
— A stop sign stops being a sign and becomes an Octa-friend.
A slice of pizza becomes Trixie’s best pose.
✨ Did You Know?
Children who play outdoors regularly show measurably stronger executive function, focus, and stress recovery. Nature is one of the original classrooms.
For Parents & Educators
“When a child looks up at a rooftop and says, ‘that’s a triangle!’ ~ the whole world has changed shape. Geometry is no longer something to pass. It’s something to notice. And noticing is the first step toward understanding.”
~ Maisel McLaula
This collection was built for the adults in a child’s play life ~ the ones who stack blocks on the rug, who point out the moon’s circle on the drive home, who want spatial reasoning to feel like a game instead of a grade. Each story is grounded in early-STEM research, shaped by movement and humor, and told with the warmth of someone who has watched a child build a castle out of cushions and call it by name.
Thank You For Sitting On The Floor.
Whether you are the parent who builds the train track for the 200th time, the preschool teacher who lets the puzzle stay out for a week, the OT who teaches a child their hands can think, or the engineer-aunt who showed a kid what shapes can do ~ thank you. The adult who plays on the floor builds the architects, surgeons, and inventors of tomorrow.
Hands-on play activates 7 brain regions simultaneously. Worksheets activate 1. The floor IS the curriculum, in early childhood. You knew that already.
You are giving a child permission to think with their hands. That habit, once formed, never leaves them. Decades from now, they will still be the kind of person who picks up the puzzle.
Stay In The Loop.
Subscribe to the NextGen Learners Newsletter for stories from Maisel, behind-the-scenes peeks at upcoming books, free printable surprises, and the occasional very gentle reminder that bedtime stories are still the best technology ever invented.
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