Draw the Line

PreS-Gr 2— Two boys have their backs to each other as they draw lines on the ground. When they run into each other, they make a decision to sign up for their lines. One boy picks up the line, which has turned into a string, and starts playing with it. The other boy thinks this is funny—until the string gets caught around him and yanks him off his feet. Then he is angry, especially since the other boy laughs. He gets up and deliberately tugs on the string, yanking the laughing boy off his feet. The string starts to fray as the conflict between them escalates. As the boys yank from side to side on the string, the fraying part gets bigger and bigger until a chasm has opened up between them and the string has hardened. The boys yell at each other for a minute and pout, which causes the space to get even bigger. Eventually, the antagonists relax, and one boy decides to let go of his anger. He walks back toward the narrower end of the abyss and the other boy follows. He kneels down and draws a bridge over the narrowest a part of the cleft, which leads the other boy to kneel down; soon, the children are working together to close the distance. This wordless book uses symbolism to beautifully illustrate the damage that conflict can cause. The growing chasm, in conjunction with the mixed colors that clearly capture the boys’ feelings (yellow for happy, purple for unhappy) as they fluctuate, is striking. VERDICT This beautiful analogy of conflict resolution is a should-have for all libraries.— Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT

“Otoshi’s fluid watercolors are sheer loveliness, surpassed only by her ability to communicate big concepts with no words. A simple, beautiful concept whose reach grows with each rereading.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This wordless book uses symbolism to beautifully illustrate the damage that conflict can cause. The growing chasm, in conjunction with the mixed colors that clearly capture the boys’ feelings (yellow for happy, purple for unhappy) as they fluctuate, is striking. This beautiful analogy of conflict resolution is a should-have for all libraries.” ―School Library Journal, starred review

“Reminiscent of Chris Raschka’s 1994 Caldecott Honor Yo! Yes?. Otoshi’s watercolor illustrations are arresting and her characters so expressive, the youngest of readers may easily fill in the textless story for themselves . . . [A] striking wordless book.” ―Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Powerful.” ―Booklist

“Otoshi suggests that if those in conflict stay open to the possibilities, resolution can be found in unexpected places.” ―Publishers Weekly