What starts out as fun and togetherness sometimes ends up in storm clouds and feeling far, far away.
A young boy is intently drawing a line on the pavement. He is so busy he doesn't see or hear the boy behind him who is concentrating so deeply on drawing his own line. Then, BUMP!
The two boys back into each other in surprise. The jolt quickly turns to laughter and a sense of camaraderie until by accident one boy ensnarls the other in his line. It's no fun being tied up in someone else's line and angry feelings send the boy to retaliate.
Is this where they really want to be?
Simply drawn the bold black outlines of the characters and their lines move across the pages defining the sense of being together and being apart. It's easy to see the divides and the connections. It's not so easy in real life to see your own divides and connections and how you get into that place of feeling as though a big crack has opened up between you and your friend.
This is a wonderful book that illustrates what conflict looks like in its simplest terms. It would be a great tool for ratcheting down a playground battle because I think kids would laugh to see what they look like standing on their side and they would want to mend the break defined so clearly in this powerful story.
48 pages 978-1626725638 Ages 4-9
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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"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."--from the publisher
