Lines by Suzy Lee
Like Barbara Lehman, Suzy Lee is a creator of magical wordless picture books I am always excited to read, over and over. Lines is Lee's fourth authored and illustrated picture book (reviews of the first three here), although she has illustrated the stories of other authors (see below). The endpapers of Lines show, first, a blank page, pencil and eraser ready to get to work, then, a completed drawing that returns readers to the story they just finished reading. A lone skater in a red hat and mittens creates lines on the ice, her joy, freedom and exuberance bursting from the pages of Lines.
A twirl and a jump ends with a crash. A page turn reveals a crumpled page, eraser detritus littering the scene. Like the skater, the artist is starting over. Another page turn reveals the crumpled page flattened out, the lone skater sitting on the ice. Another skater appears, scooting along on his bum after a fall, a huge smile on his face. Soon enough, the pages are filled with many skaters gliding across a pond ringed with leafless trees.
Lee's books always capture the experience of playfulness in solitude as well as the joys of creativity. The beauty of Lines is the way that Lee brings a sense of community to the page and her book as a whole. I love looking at the world through the window of Lee's imaginatively creative books!
Suzy Lee's Books
Illustrated by Suzy Lee:
Source: Review Copy
