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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY PER | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Valley Library (Lakeland) | EASY PER | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In a spare story with a fable-like tone, Pericoli takes readers through an Italian landscape in search of Tommaso's line--and in doing so takes them along on a journey of discovery. Illustrations.
Author Notes
Graduated from the Polytechnic School of Milan in 1995 and the same year moved to New York City, where he worked as an architect and as an illustrator. His work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Sports Illustrated, Harper's and the Italian national newspaper La Stampa.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
When a line mysteriously vanishes from his favorite drawing, Tommaso hunts it down, and he discovers that while lines are indeed everywhere, it's the significance and sensibility he infuses in his line that make it all his own. Or, to put it another way, Tommaso discovers what it means to be an artist. As in previous books, Pericoli (The True Story of Stellina) demonstrates remarkable draftsmanship and a vivid eye for detail and perspective; the mostly black-and-white pictures combine the elegant extravagance of architectural engravings with the playfulness and spontaneity of a great doodle. The Italian setting adds to the charm, and children will enjoy seeing the foreign-language store signs, the Roman columns, etc. The design is striking: initially, as Tommaso searches for the missing line, Pericoli asks readers to join in Tommaso's quest-and experience his heightened awareness-by highlighting one line in bright orange (the curling line of a cat's tail, the springy line of car antenna), the same color that Tommaso has drawn with. Facing each illustration, the text drops out from solid orange; the effect is eye-popping. Ages 5-8. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Tommaso always keeps a drawing in his pocket, one he made himself of his nonna's house on a hill, with both of them standing by the fig tree. But one day the line that forms the hill disappears from the paper. He asks his mother, a dog, a cat, Gregorio the mechanic and Luigi the barber. Each one knows about linesa leash, a car antenna, hair clippings and so onbut not about Tommaso's line. He goes off by train to see his grandmother, and finally he finds his line, curving gently under her house when they view it together from the base of the hill. This book is beautifully, brilliantly designed: The black-and-white line drawings are alive with energy and squiggle; a red line runs across the bottom of each page and often appears within the illustrations too, marking the dog's leash or the cat's tail. The text appears opposite each picture in a white sans-serif typeface on a red background, so each opening of the book is elegant, balanced and draws readers in. A gem. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Tommaso keeps his favorite drawing in his pocket. It's a sketch he's made of his grandmother's house atop a gentle hill, bordered by trees, distant mountains, and stick-figure versions of himself and Grandma. It's a familiar and comforting image until, One day a strange thing happened: one of the lines in Tommaso's drawing was gone disappeared. The curved line that represented the hill has indeed vanished, and Tommaso goes on a hunt for the line that takes him through a crisply illustrated black-and-white Italian cityscape. Tommaso finds plenty of lines illustrated in vibrant orange but none of these dog-leashes, car antennas, cat tails, or barber hair clippings are right. Initially reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955), Pericoli's intricate artwork reveals his expertise as an architect, and will reward the young reader on the lookout for all the lines Tommaso misses. The text becomes a bit repetitive when Tommaso returns to Grandma's house, but readers may be more interested in the white lettering, which stands out so vibrantly against the orange background.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2008 Booklist
