Pajama Press

What did you like about the book?   This book consists of a series of colorful and whimsical illustrations accompanied by a few lines of text that serve as story starters. All begin with “Once Upon a Line” and most involve animals. For instance one painting depicts a pig in a suit atop a very large fish: “Once upon a line, a fisherman tried out his new fishing pole. He was admiring the fine workmanship when suddenly…” The book begins by saying that the paintings were found in an old trunk belonging to a magician and that “each picture starts with the same pen line.” Most readers will find it very difficult to find the same pen line in each drawing, but there is an answer key at the end. This is a book that would be useful for aspiring writers.

Anything you didn’t like about it? / To whom would you recommend this book?     This would be a good book to use with a creative writing class. Children who like to write stories will enjoy the “story starters.” Pair it with The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg.

Who should buy this book? Public libraries

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We are thrilled to announce that six recent Pajama Press titles have been selected and featured in the Spring 2016 edition of Best Books for Kids & Teens:

Ben Says Goodbye—STARRED SELECTION
978-1-927485-79-8  Hardcover with dust jacket
Written by Sarah Ellis
Illustrated by Kim La Fave

Elephant Journey: The True Story of Three Zoo Elephants and their Rescue from Captivity
978-1-927485-77-4  Hardcover with dust jacket
Written by Rob Laidlaw
Illustrated by Brian Deines

Kiss, Kiss
978-1-927485-86-6  Hardcover with laminated case
Written by Jennifer Couëlle
Illustrated by Jacques Laplante

Once Upon a Line—STARRED SELECTION
978-1927485-78-1  Hardcover with dust jacket
Written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards

Timo’s Garden
978-1-927485-84-2  Hardcover with laminated case
Written by Victoria Allenby
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths

A Year of Borrowed Men
978-1-927485-83-5  Hardcover with dust jacket.
Written by Michelle BarkerIllustrated by Renné Benoit

Visit the Canadian Children’s Book Centre website to order your copy of Best Books for Kids & Teens today.

“Wallace Edwards has done it again! The introduction to Once Upon a Line lets us know that the fantastical paintings in this book were created by Great-Uncle George using an enchanted pen from the East. He only had to draw a single curving line, and it would turn into a painting. Each page has an illustration incorporating that line and a start to a story, beginning with ‘Once upon a line,’ an obvious and intriguing reference to ‘Once upon a time.’ As with his other books, Edwards creates many levels of meaning by combining all that you see on the page in unexpected ways.

This is a great book for anyone with a wild imagination. On each page Wallace draws the reader into both the illustration and the words. Readers are challenged to find the “magic line” in each picture. In most cases, the story is different, not always exactly what is shown in the picture. For example, we get a dandy rat who loves his “brand new ultra-modern house,” a gleaming white toilet sitting among flowers. The words continue, “‘I have never had such a beautiful home before,’ he said. Just then, a little bird said…” This sentence could lead anywhere, and is an invitation to go somewhere new each time you read it.

Although each page has its own theme, there are a few where connections are made to the previous illustration. At the back of the book is a guide showing where the magical line is in each of the pictures, and a reminder that the enchanted pen is also in each one, too.

Once Upon a Line has all the marks of a Wallace Edwards gem: his distinctive style of illustration, humour, appealing characters and just enough information to get you started on your own story.”

This review originally appeared in the Spring 2016 edition of Canadian Children’s BookNews.

“The cover asks, ‘Where do stories come from? How do ideas begin?’ and the title answers, ‘Once upon a line.’ The book begins with a Harris Burdick–like framing device describing a folder of pictures found inside an old steamer trunk. Readers are invited to take the paintings and a humorous beginning line to develop original stories. Unlike Van Allsburg’s mysterious, moody illustrations, Edwards’s are more fanciful. Rendered in watercolor, pencil, and gouache, most of the pictures depict animals in strange situations. Many of the images are visual jokes, such as a chicken chasing an egg with legs, accompanied by the text ‘Once upon a line, there was a great race. No one knew who would come first until the fluffy one began to….’ Each full-page illustration is boxed by a white border on three, not four, sides, leaving even the pictures open-ended. By themselves, the funny pictures will amuse readers; going further, the situations should inspire creative writing. Edwards adds a puzzle element by hiding the same drawn line in each picture. An answer key is included at the end of the book….”

Kids’ Book Buzz is a website where children’s books are reviewed by their intended audiences: kids! Here’s what they had to say about some of our latest titles.

Kiss, Kiss

“This book is very nice because it shows you all sorts of nice kisses. Kisses show someone that you love them, and some kisses are long, and some are short, some are loud and some are wet. This shows people kissing, and dogs kissing, and birds kissing, and even fish kissing. But it isn’t sloppy or gross, because the pictures are just little cartoon pictures. Some of the words rhyme but it isn’t really a poem and there aren’t very many words. I like the pictures where the mom or dad is giving the child a kiss, or the grandma. There are lots of hearts because the kisses show love. Sometimes a mom might give a kiss to help her child feel better if he got a scraped knee, and sometimes a kiss is to say hello or goodbye. Then at the end it says “I Love You!”

You will like to read this book because the pictures are really fun with lots of colors and funny animals and kissy lips. Maybe you will give this book to someone you love.”

Reviewed by Liesel, Age 4

Princess Pistachio and the Pest

“A little girl named Pistachio wants to explore a cave with her friends, but instead, her mother wants her to take her little sister to the park. Pistachio thinks that is going to be so boring. First, she gets accused of being a thief, which is so embarrassing. Then, she falls into a witch’s garden and almost gets turned into a toad. Worst of all, she gets kicked out of the park because a warden thinks she meant to take money from the fountain, but it was her little sister, Penny. Everything terrible that happened that day was all Penny’s fault. But it was not boring. When she tells her mother what happened, her mom decides to call someone to look after them, since it’s too much for Pistachio. She calls the witch!  Pistachio is horrified. Even though she hated her day with her sister, she tells her mother not to worry. She’s sure they will have fun together.

I really liked this book. It’s hilarious, and it’s a short chapter book with pictures. It’s very exciting too. No book could be boring with witches, police, and thieves, especially not this one.”

—Reviewed by Paloma, Age 9

Once Upon a Line

“Once upon a Line is like no other book I have ever read. There really isn’t a story written, but instead you need to use your own imagination to finish off a story. Each page is a different picture and story for you to make up. They said the pictures were from a Great-Uncle George, who was a magician and had a magic pen. They say that every picture starts with a line and you need to find the line in each picture, as well as find the magic pen.

Once upon a Line was a great book. I liked looking for the starting line and magic pen on every page. I loved sitting with my mom and sister and we each took turns continuing the story for every picture. Some stories were easy to continue and others were harder. The illustrations were very detailed, colorful and some where really funny. My favorite page was the prince who dreamed in color and dreamed up a dragon. It was really fun making up your own story and using your imagination.”

—Reviewed by Jewel, Age 7

Giraffe Meets Bird

“There’s this giraffe that meets this bird. The bird was in its nest, in its egg, and when it hatched, giraffe saw it, because Giraffe is so tall. Giraffe thought the bird was cute and nice when he saw it, and Bird and Giraffe both learned what the other one liked, and had to learn to be nice. But they didn’t always get along, because sometimes they didn’t like what the other one did. Bird didn’t like Giraffe telling him what to do, and Giraffe didn’t like Bird bonking his head. So then they didn’t seem to like each other. But then when there was trouble coming, they went into this tree and helped each other because they were friends.

I liked this book because I like looking at the pictures, and there are fun things to look at in it. I like the part where the lion family comes and where the giraffe jumps into the tree. I was glad that Giraffe and Bird decided to be friends, even though they didn’t always get along. The pictures are really nice. This is a good book about being good friends.”

Reviewed by Liesel, Age 4

Bad Pirate

“Bad Pirate is about dog pirates that think being a pirate is about being saucy, bold, and selfish. The captain’s daughter, Augusta, is kind, nice, and helpful. Her dad and the other pirates think that is very, very bad. Augusta finally tries to be selfish, and then when there is a storm, her selfish act puts the whole ship in danger. So, she goes to help fix the sail, even though its not her job, and when her dad growls at her, she has to get saucy with him. Will he get mad at her? Will he let her fix the sail or will he let the ship sink? You have to read the book to find out!

Augusta is brave because she stands up to her dad, and is kind even when he tells her she should be selfish. I like this book because it was cool. I love pirates, and I like all the different characters. I really like all the details of the illustrations, they look like real dogs. And I like all the different breeds. I also like the ship. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes pirates, or wants to be nice, even if sometimes their friends aren’t.”

—reviewed by Lily, Age 6

“Giant circus frogs eat their trainers, robots ice-skate on frozen ponds, a dinosaur hatches out of a balloon held by a king: we were already in love with this book even before the high concept set in. And that high concept is how the author’s uncle left a trunk full of his drawings, all of which he started by sketching the same squiggly line. You have to find the line in the picture and finish his story. The test of any high-concept book is the execution and Edwards totally pulls it off, creating a sort of If On A Winter’s Night A Traveller for the under-10 set. I suspect this book will live near the top of our favourites pile for quite some time.”

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“Join the magic pen on a journey through the imagination and its stories.

Wallace Edwards’ Once Upon a Line is the ultimate springboard to story writing for individual readers or for whole class endeavours.

Starter sentences combined with beautifully illustrated colour pictures of a possible story line are set out on each page, where the only limit is the individual’s imagination. This is a fabulous tool for teaching creative writing, from brainstorming through process writing to illustration and publication.

Highly recommended for classroom libraries, creative writing classes, rainy afternoon entertainment and more. This book whets the creative mind’s appetite and begs its satisfaction. Each illustration can tell a thousand stories if the mind allows it. A masterpiece!”

“The latest visual feast from Wallace Edwards is designed to spur the imagination of young readers (and older ones, too). Each page features an image and “Once upon a line,” followed by the beginnings of a story (“there was a great race. No one knew who would come first until the fluffy one began to…”). It’s up to readers to determine what comes next, though Wallace provides many possibilities in his detailed illustrations packed with flora and fauna (and a single pen stroke repeated in each image, which Wallace challenges us to spot). From a knight riding an octopus to a gaggle of laughing alligators, there’s no shortage of silliness here to inspire raucous bedtime yarns.”
—Dory Cerny, Quill & Quire

“This interactive, imaginative book opens with the drawing of a single line, used in each illustration that follows. Edwards charges the reader to identify that line in each of the completed illustrations. (It’s a tough game, but don’t worry, there is an answer sheet at the back.) Readers are then challenged to complete the story that each page introduces. Sometimes the prompt is an action (“Mr. Wolf was about to give up searching for his pet duck when…”), other times a rationale (“He preferred to write his own music because…”). This variation will keep readers on their toes, and the colorful illustrations created with watercolor, pencil, and gouache will continually surprise with unexpected depictions: an elephant in an umbrella, dinosaurs popping out of a king’s balloons, a dog whose reflection is a cat. This is a charming reminder of the importance of a single line, and the fun of the creative process. Pair with Christopher Myers’ My Pen (2015) for a different take on the power of the pen.”

—Edie Ching

“…Edwards’ work is an educator’s delight as it offers countless instructional opportunities in storytelling, creative writing, and visual arts. Children will unquestionably enjoy the interactive nature of the book and how it openly invites them to make the stories their own. Perhaps most importantly, Once Upon a Line allows children to recognize that even the grandest of ideas often begins from something rather small.

A wonderful addition to any classroom, school or home library, Once Upon a Line will most certainly appeal to a wide audience of readers for years to come.

 Highly Recommended.”

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