DRAW the LINE by Kathryn Otoshi

Posted on 10/05/2020

Roaring Brook Press (2017) | ISBN: 978-1626725638

 

Today is the second post in a series of three for a unit I’m calling “TOGETHER. APART. REGRET. NEW START?”

Each Monday for the next 2 weeks, I’ll share a brief lesson to accompany a picture book that invites students into a conversation about empathy, friendship, and the path from conflict to resolution.

Here’s last week’s post on I WALK WITH VANESSA: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness.

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Today’s book is DRAW THE LINE by Kathryn Otoshi, a story about two boys who draw their own lines and realize that when they connect them together―magic happens! But… when a misstep causes their lines to get crossed. Push! Pull! Tug! Yank! Soon their line unravels into an angry tug-of-war. When the rift between them grows, so does the question – will they find a way to come together again?

 

BEFORE READING

Open up the book so students can see both the front and back cover. Ask: What’s going on in the picture? What will this story be about? What do you see that makes you say that?

DURING

Guided by the open-ended questions above, continue to encourage students to “read” the story by sharing their interpretations and thoughts about the developing art and narrative.

Additional things to consider when reading: use of color and white space and use of the gutter – the inside margin at the center of a book.

AFTER

  • Questions for discussion:
    • At what point did things go wrong? Do you think the boys got into a fight on purpose? Why or why not?
    • What *could* the kids have done at the moment when the problem began? For example, when the boy on the right laughed, what might he have done instead? What do you think would have happened if he noticed that his friend was angry? What might have happened if they’d paused before reacting?
    • Is one child in the wrong and the other child in the right? Or is it just “one of those things?” Is it up to one child to step up and apologize?
  • Have students work in small groups or pairs to create the dialogue (perhaps using Speech Bubbles) of each of the two characters for one or more double page spreads. 

EXTENSIONS and Resources