Lucy and the String

By the time Lucy realizes what’s at the end of the piece of red yarn she’s been tugging, she’s unraveled the pants right off a large bear named Hank, who’s covered in red knit. Lucy hams it up by way of apology, shaping the yarn into funny hairstyles before realizing that Hank is not amused—he just wants his pants back. When Lucy finally comes up with a satisfactory solution (she cuts the yarn that’s joined them for so long), the two discover that they’ve become essential to each other. Newcomer Roeder works in a gray-black-white palette lit up by the yarn’s brilliant scarlet, and she paces the story’s panels and vignettes with care while exploring the full range of the yarn’s possibilities—dance partner, calligraphic script, building material, and more. The transformation is Hank’s as he lets go of his loss and becomes interested in Lucy’s humor and energy. Pants are expendable, he discovers, as he accepts Lucy’s striped skirt as a substitute, but friendship is forever. Ages 3–5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. [em](Aug.) [/em]