Loose Threads
Loose Threads
Written & illustrated by Isol
Translated from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel
A young girl discovers the value of the chaotic, creative underside in this picture book from Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Isol.
Young Leilah lives in an idyllic village, where everything has its place. It's as beautiful and perfect as the scenes in her grandmother's embroidery. But some believe that just on the flipside of this orderly town lies the Other Side—a messy and wild world, filled with merry inhabitants and strange beasts, a peculiar world that Leilah often visits in her dreams.
So when Leilah's mom has had enough of her daughter constantly losing her things, Leilah comes up with a plan: her lost possessions must be falling down into the Other Side, and so all she has to do to fix things is mend the holes appearing in her world. It's a genius idea, and nothing will ever go missing again! But Leilah will soon learn that some loose threads don't need to be sewn up, and that keeping things in can also mean shutting things out...
Inspired by Palestinian embroidery and one of her favorite shawls, Isol spins a tale that celebrates the different sides that are all part of life's rich tapestry.
ISBN: 978-1-59270-392-0 • 7.5” (W) x 9.75” (H) • 76 pages • HC
REVIEWS
Selected for the Children Book Council’s Summer 2024 Showcase: Imagination Celebration
“Existing alongside Leilah’s beautiful, orderly village is another, chaotic world called the Other Side... Inspired by a traditional hand-embroidered shawl that she received on a visit to Palestine, Isol’s eye-catching, unique illustrations feature photographs of its patterns; the outward-facing side is the backdrop to Leilah’s village, while the reverse sets the scene for the Other Side... [A] clever, playful tale... Whimsical and imaginative.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Brilliantly realized, this is a charming, unusual fable of two worlds, each the reverse of the other but ever in balance.” —Booklist
“An embroidered shawl’s underside represents an alternate realm in this inventive picture book... Celebrates the fascinating reverse side of intricate stitching patterns.” —Publishers Weekly
“The celebrated Argentine picture-book creator Isol presents 7- to 9-year-olds with parallel realms in Loose Threads, an illustrated story that plays out on either side of an embroidered cloth. On one side houses and flowers appear in neat stitching, while the obverse shows a mess of knots and dangling threads. On the tidy side lives a little girl named Leilah who’s forever losing things—keys, gloves, colored pencils… An affectionate coda, meanwhile, reveals that the dwellers on the fabric’s untidy side are indeed as fantastical as Leilah could hope and that they enjoy putting her ‘gifts’ to stylish use.” —Wall Street Journal
“Inspired by the traditional embroidery of Palestinian culture, this Argentinian import honors unseen worlds. The mixed-media art relies primarily on highly textured and detailed embroidery to tell the tale… Isol depicts a world embroidered in red thread… Delightfully, she also depicts the back sides of these embroidered cloths to emphasize the ‘much stranger’ other world ‘just behind ours.’ She renders the startling, eye-catching forest with black threads, for example… A richly imagined tale told with loving care.” —Julie Danielson, for The Horn Book
“The images created through the wear and tear of this scarf are the perfect landscape for creativity and imagination in this sweet story that sparks curiosity. This book is beautifully illustrated and relatable for young children with a strong sense of wonder! Recommended for those who like inventive, unique books.” —Marí Valiente, The Park School Library (Brookline, MA), Youth Services Book Review
“The Argentine picture book author-illustrator Isol takes the reader on a voyage through the two sides of a hand-embroidered Palestinian shawl. The unique and colorful illustrations are sure to capture the young reader’s attention, inviting them to accompany Leilah from one world to another.” —Zoraida Rivera Morales, for Words Without Borders
“Isol is a great Argentinian illustrator, a very well-known and beloved artist who is constantly challenging herself and her readers… A wondrous invitation to think about life’s different sides.” —Mariana Ruiz, for World Kid Lit