Educating children is no small feat, and it has been well-documented that education needs to involve much more than mere memorization. One of the most effective ways to help children learn and remember information is to present it to them in a way that engages their senses, interests, and imagination. This is why children's literature often incorporates a variety of visual, linguistic, and cognitive elements designed to stimulate different areas of a child's brain. Today, we will delve into an often overlooked, yet central aspect of learning in children's literature – 'the psychology of learning shapes'.

The visual portrayal of shapes in children’s books plays a significant role in facilitating cognitive development in children. A circle, square, or triangle, may seem simple and insignificant to an adult, but to a child, recognizing these shapes and understanding their properties lies at the foundation of their cognitive development.

Shapes Enhance Visual Learning
Children are essentially visual learners. Before they can read or write, they perceive the world around them through their vision. Shapes in children’s literature aren’t random. Each shape used in the illustration of a story has a purpose and meaning. When children are introduced to shapes through visual cues like books, it aids in developing their visual-spatial skills, a critical factor in early childhood education.

Shapes Foster Critical Thinking
Identifying shapes in a storybook nurtures the analytical part of a child's brain. When kids spot a 'round' sun, 'square' houses, or 'triangular' mountains in a book, they’re indirectly exercising their critical thinking skills and creating a foundation for geometric understanding.

Shapes Contribute to Storytelling and Communication Skills
Even before kids learn to read, they learn to 'read' pictures. Picture books where shapes play a key part in storytelling allow children to make sense of the story in their own way, enhancing their interpretation skills and fostering early communication abilities.

Shapes Spark Creativity
Angled triangles as rooftops, circular wheels on a car or the round face of a smiling character, facilitate a child’s creative thinking process. They learn to associate shapes with objects and people around them in creative ways, thereby honing their imaginative skills.

To sum up, the incorporation and careful selection of shapes in children's books is by no means a frivolous choice. It's a meticulously planned strategy that plays a crucial role in a child's learning journey. Shapes not only contribute to the beauty of kid’s literature but also lie at the heart of learning, ultimately aiding in shaping a child's understanding of the world around them.

So next time you and your little one dive into the magical world of a storybook, take some time to explore and discuss the shapes that appear on each page. You'll be amazed at what a 'round' discussion it will turn out to be. Happy reading!