cover image The Line

The Line

Paula Bossio. Kids Can, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-894786-84-3

Newcomer Bossio confines herself to a palette of red, black, and white; a single character (well, almost); and a single line, which runs along the pages from left to right. The line is discovered by a cheery, carrot-nosed girl. She waves a section of it up and down, then discovers she can swing from it. Imaginative ideas come thick and fast as the rope, like a Calder wire sculpture, takes the shape of a monkey hanging by one arm; the girl hangs beside it companionably. Spectators (also created from the line) watch as the girl performs circus tricks on it. The tension cranks up when the spectators morph into a line dragon that threatens to overpower the girl; fortunately, the other side of the line turns into a friendly bear that saves her, earning a hug. A final page turn reveals the bear’s sneaky creator. Originally published in Mexico, Bassio’s wordless story celebrates childhood fun, from the way the girl sticks out her tongue at the vanquished dragon to the smudges reproduced all over the pages—“You could draw this yourself!” they seem to say. Ages 2–5. (Sept.)