The Line by Paula Bossio (Kids Can Press, 2013) is a wordless picture book that offers a unique look at how we can all be creative. In this book, a young girl notices a line and starts playing with it. She shakes it and watches it move; she forms it into a wild animal; she hangs from it like it is a jungle gym. After a time, the line forms into a scary monster, but she is ultimately saved by a teddy bear again created by the same line. The last page even shows us who has been drawing the line.
The child was drawn in a deceptively simple scribble style, just right for a character playing with a pencil line that follows along the bottom of the page. Although the story sounds simple, it is a childhood call for creativity, a reminder that children can create anything they can think of, even with a single line. Maybe it will give my daughter an idea of what she can make with a single line too.
Original Thoughts (August 2013)
The Line by Paula Bossio (Kids Can Press, 2013) is a wordless picture book about a girl who comes across a line. She plays with it, ties it up, and so forth. In the end, we see that the line is connected to a child who will probably be a friend. This book didn’t jump out at me, but maybe that is because I read a digital edition. It reminded me of Harold and the Purple Crayon in that so much can be done when one has the means to draw as well as an imagination. Digital Review Copy
