Draw the Line

by Kathryn Otoshi

Overview

Draw the Line is a powerful picture book about forgiveness from Kathryn Otoshi, author of the bestselling book One.

When two boys draw their own lines and realize they can connect them together—magic happens!

But a misstep causes their lines to get crossed.

Push! Pull! Tug! Yank!
Soon their line unravels into an angry tug-of-war.

With a growing rift between them, will the boys ever find a way to come together again?

Acclaimed author/illustrator Kathryn Otoshi uses black and white illustrations with thoughtful splashes of color to create a powerful, multi-layered statement about friendship, boundaries, and healing after conflict.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2017

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250195333
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	10/10/2017
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kathryn Otoshi is an award-winning author/illustrator, best known for her character-building number/color book series: One, Zero, and Two. She is also the co-author of Beautiful Hands, a book about possibilities and reaching your dreams. She travels across the country to encourage children to develop strong character traits and to help readers find creative methods to engage and connect with their students through the power of reading, art, and literature. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Editorial Reviews

08/07/2017
Otoshi (Beautiful Hands) uses a simple charcoal line to tell a tale of conflict and resolution. Two boys—one with light skin and dark hair, the other with dark skin and light hair—discover that the lines they’re drawing on the ground can be picked up like rope. The urge to tease overtakes them, then the desire to hurt back. Soon they’re tugging on opposite ends of the line (and on either side of a spread) as a chasm opens between them. But the chasm is an illusion: when one boy, idly experimenting, finds a way to close it, the two reconcile in a moment of warm spontaneity. Otoshi’s slightly wooden figures act and move against a backdrop of empty white—the story could be happening anywhere. The pages are lit with splashes of golden yellow when things are going well, shifting to purple when the strife intensifies. The action is clear and, because the story is wordless, understandable to very young children. Otoshi suggests that if those in conflict stay open to the possibilities, resolution can be found in unexpected places. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

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, along 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 must-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

From the Publisher

A friendship is formed, tested, and nearly broken apart in this wordless picture book by the author and illustrator of One and other acclaimed works. When two little boys start out separately drawing lines on the ground, they accidentally bump into each other. They are startled at first, but soon enough they join their lines and start playing together. They enjoy this carefree fun for a while, until one of the boys pulls a bit too hard on the line, tangling the other boy up in the process. Soon enough, the play devolves into a heated argument and tug of war session. A chasm literally breaks apart the ground between the boys, deepening the angrier they become. Eventually, the kids find a way to resolve their anger, and the line itself disappears as they walk away together. The use of color and body language is especially impactful. The children’s faces are very expressive, and their irritated postures leave no doubt as to their moods throughout the story. The boys are drawn in black and white and the scene itself is minimalistic, with an intentional use of color throughout. The tone shifts from a dark, gloomy purple when the mood is angry, to a bright, cheerful yellow as the kids’ emotions similarly lighten up. Overall, this book provides an important message about arguments and overcoming those differences. The story will definitely lend itself to thoughtful discussions. Reviewer: Lisa Czirr; Ages 4 to 8.

Children's Literature - Lisa Czirr

★ 10/01/2017
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 decide to join 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 back and forth 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 calm down, 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 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, along 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 must-have for all libraries.— Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT

School Library Journal

★ 2017-07-17
A wordless musing on the nature of disagreements and friendship.Two children, of differing skin tones, one with a shock of black hair and the other with a shock of light, draw lines on the ground. Loops and folds curl round each other until—amid a smack of violet watercolor backdrop—the lads bump into each other. Rueful surprise turns into pure glee when the children realize that if they connect their lines they can pick them up and play. Otoshi's landscape-oriented spreads make expert use of the book's gutter, each child on either side, with only the line allowed to cross. Emotions change when one child accidentally knocks the other over (the angry violet cloud appears again). Each tenaciously grabs hold of the line and pulls mightily. This fierce tug of war causes a crevice to appear in the gutter, feeding on anger, growing larger and larger. Clenched fists and taut muscles seethe with rage. But then, silence. The line they had been holding is now the horizon, with a spot of bright yellow peeking through the violet. One moment is all that is needed to choose to let go, mend rifts, and walk into future possibilities with a friend. 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. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews