Lines That Wiggle
Kindergarten-Grade 4—Through bouncy verse and lively artwork, this creative collaboration explores the many different ways that lines are used. Whitman's descriptions employ a great range of adjectives and verbs, and Wilson's graphic-style art captures the actions of the lines with a host of colorful animal and monsterlike creatures engaged in various activities. For example, "Lines that twist" (the illustration shows a school bus navigating along a serpentine road), "lines that sway" (blades of grass bend gracefully in the wind), "lines that swish the flies way" (a cowboy-boot-wearing horse dispatches insects with its tail). Lines can also "curve" and "curl" (as in a mummy's unwinding bandages), "swirl" (from a whale's spout), and "zigzag" (across a rainstorm sky). The book's design showcases specific descriptors in a cursive font that uses the textured glitter to maximum effect. This emphasis makes the connection between word and art even more striking. Children will enjoy this book on many levels. It can be read independently for pleasure or used in a variety of ways in the classroom. Art teachers in particular will find this a wonderful addition to their curriculum.—Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.