Lines

As she did in Wave and Shadow, Lee explores the possibilities of the picture book as she draws a parallel between a solitary figure skater and the solitary artist who sketches her. The skater soars across the white pages, etching sinuous lines on the ice, a breathtaking vision of continuous motion. But then the skater leaps, spins, teeters off balance, and crashes hard; her red knit cap goes flying. A page turn translates the skater’s failure into the language of the artist: readers see a drawing crumpled in angry frustration, an eraser cast aside. Another page turn shows the skater’s slow recovery—and the artist’s—as the crumpled sheet of paper is spread out; on it, the skater sits gazing at her hat. A host of other skaters tumble about her, sprawling ungracefully, all with broad grins. Someone offers her a hand, and suddenly they’re all skating together. Skaters fail, artists make bad drawings—that’s how learning happens. And when a person is part of a community, it’s easier to keep one’s balance. For a story about making mistakes, Lee’s work is nearly flawless. Ages 3–5. (Sept.)