Loose Threads

by Isol, Lawrence Schimel (Translator)

An intrepid girl discovers the value of the tangled, knotty side of life in this story, inspired by a Palestinian scarf, from Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Isol

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 village lies the Other Side—a messy and wild world, filled with merry inhabitants and strange beasts. Leilah often visits just such a place in her dreams.
Leilah is constantly losing things, and when her mom demands an explanation, Leilah decides that her lost possessions must be falling down into the Other Side. And so, Leilah declares that all she has to do to fix things is mend the holes between her world and the Other Side. It’s a genius idea—nothing will ever go missing again! But as Leilah soon learns, some holes don’t need sewing up, and mending can also mean a suffocating shutting out . . .

Inspired by one of her favorite scarves, here Isol spins a tale that celebrates the different worlds that are all part of life’s rich tapestry.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Art

76 pages, Hardcover

Published June 25, 2024

About the author

Marisol Misenta, known professionally under the mononym Isol, is one of the most famous authors and illustrators of children's books in the world. She has won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, has twice been selected as a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersenn Award and has won a Golden Apple at the Biennial of Illustration, Bratislava. her many publications include It's Useful to Have a Duck, Beautiful Griselda, Nocturne and Petit, the Monster. Isol is also an advertising illustrator, a professional singer and a comic-book writer. She lives with her family in Buenos Aires.

Reviews

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Mama doesn't seem very convinced by my theory. She never wants to hear anything about the Other Side.'

Oh wow, Loose Threads is easily one of the most creative picture books out there. Inspired by traditional Palestinian embroidery for the 'Palestinian Art History as Told by Everyday Objects' project, Loose Threads makes use of an actual Palestinian shawl and doodles to tell a story about Leilah and her habit of losing things. Of course, Leilah has a simple explanation and it's all to do with the Other Side. Leilah proceeds to come up with a solution that may have just made things stranger in her village.

Isol has done a wonderful job with this picture book and I'm so glad it's been translated to reach a wider audience.

[Dylan Stoepel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Isol found such an imaginative world within Palestinian textiles.

[Emily Mandeville-Houle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a visually beautiful book! I've never encountered a graphic novel illustrated through embroidery, and the story has a lovely Alice In Wonderland quality to it.

[Kirin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looked like Palestinian tatreez on the cover, but these days, everything makes me think of Palestine. I read the story and there is nothing Palestine or Arab or faith specific, but then...then I saw the backmatter, and sure enough, the book and its magic was inspired by a shawl the Argentinian author was given by the Tamer Institute of Palestine, and the story's inception was for the project, "Palestinian Art History Told by Everyday Objects."
As for the story, I really kind of liked it. A lot. A girl who is always loosing things lives one way on the embroider with her mother, but the back side is chaos and lively, and her grandma can hear things from there. Determined to stop things slipping through the tears, she sews up the holes, but then the air becomes dense and unbearable, and she removes the stitches, and dreams of the world on the other side.
The final chapter of the 76 page picture book is from the perspective of someone on the other side, bringing the book a nice twist and a clever conclusion to an imaginative story.

[Milton Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a quirky picture book and this one delivered! Leilah lives in a world of order but her grandmother has told her stories of The Other Side, a world similar to their own but with fantastical creatures. If you listen closely on the Winter Solstice you can even hear them talking to you! This little girl decides to solve a predicament that she is in by sewing up the holes between her world and The Other Side. When she does this, she throws the equilibrium of their world on its side and it must be fixed.

Isol did a masterful job of storytelling with compelling, unique illustrations. They use embroidery to represent Leilah's world, and the back side of the same embroidery to represent The Other Side. A brilliant display of genius. My daughter and I had fun seeing how the story would unfold and really enjoyed how Isol brought textile to life.

Find it in our SHARE Catalog today!

Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leilah lives in an orderly village but she loses everything. As her mother is getting onto her fo being careless, the girl mentions The Other Side, another world where things are loose and jumbled, unknown, and sometimes she hears things from that side, just like her grandmother. Leilah thinks the lost things are falling through little holes created by wear and time, and she sets off to fix them. But fixing these holes has an unintended consequence, and she has to save her village. Translated from the Spanish, Argentinian author/illustrator.

A book in with mixed media illustrations, the background embroidery is a gorgeous backdrop to the simple illustrations drawn on top. The story is a magically realistic one, with full of imagination and fear/respect of the unknown. Leilah is a perfect protagonist for this story, fearlessly stitching up the holes and listening to The Other Side in her dreams. This picture book would be perfect for storytime and introducing magical realism as a genre. I loved it and will definitely purchase it as well as recommend it to others!

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous work of art, later revealed to be an embroidered Palestinian shawl. A combination of embroidery and paper illustration, the clever use of both sides of the embroidery to tell a story of two worlds and the interplay between them makes for a magical experience.

Leilah navigates between her structured world and the chaos underneath with curiosity and equanimity. She is a problem solver, but when one solution doesn’t work, she moves on to the next.

The paper illustrations have a bit of a Feiffer feel to them. The eBook was just fine, but I imagine that a hard copy would be truly stunning.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loose Threads (2024) by Argentinian Isol is a really innovative picturebook involving embroidery. Leilah keeps losing things, and Mama just wants her to be more attentive, but Leilah, with the support of her grandmother, has a different theory: Things may be slipping into "holes" in the world that lead to The Other Side, which is of course less orderly and certainly stranger than the world you and I live in (mostly?).

So Leilah has this idea to sew up these holes, this tears in the fabric separating the two sides, whcih initially works pretty well. The art in the book, I repeat, is embroidery, stitching threads, so it is part of the story.

[Jessica Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read so many picturebooks that I don't normally add them on here, but the illustrations on this were so cool I didn't want to forget about it. There's a world just beneath the surface of ours, and when a little girl decides to mend them there are unexpected consequences. The other realm is depicted by photographs of a Palestinian shawl, and much of the illustrations are embroidered as well. I love how the medium is literally "woven" into the plot of the story. So clever.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book from the unique illustrations to the thoughtful text of a girl who keeps losing things to the "Other Side" where things are knotty and tangled. The author was inspired to write this story after being given a beautiful, embroidered shawl. The front and back sides are used as the backdrops to this story which highlights and serves as a metaphor for the importance of our "organized, beautiful" stories and our messy chaotic ones. It is truly a unique, wonderful book.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful homage to Palestinian embroidery that also is a parable about being open to the bizarre and different, to creativity and dreams as a path of healing and a kind of peace. I lived in the holy land when I was young and the embroidery brought back memories for me, but I believe the parable, the story, works without any familiarity with Palestinian craft culture.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy embroidering on fabric, and in fact, have completed items of clothing with similar patterns to the ones in this story. I love how the author used photos of the patterns to create a story and even made use of holes in the fabric as well as the reverse side to create characters and setting. It is very creative. Ii wish the story had been longer with more adventures for Leilah.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most innovative books for children I have read this year! The 'pictures' are embroidery; the story is about a little girl trying to 'sew' closed openings where she thinks her lost things go! But what happens next is a lesson that is relatable to anyone familiar with the changing nature of multiverse interference; cause/effect is often not forecastable. A deeply entertaining book!

[Sarah AK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gah, what a gem! I was wandering the children's section of the library with my kid today and stumbled on this. I'm always intrigued by mixed media books like this, so I got it, and it's a million times better than I ever could have expected. So creative, adorable, and whimsical!

[Raychel Kool]

loved it, so fun and beautiful 🪡

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yellow Dog Blues first brought stitched/sewn artwork to my attention. This book takes that medium to new heights. Colorful and intriguing.

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

the otherworldliness of coraline with the charm of lauren child. 4.5

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique and gorgeous picture book that incorporates textiles and textures in an incredibly creative way. Unlike anything else I've read. Loved it!

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, how wonderful.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stitching so this book definitely tugged at my heart strings. Story is captivating and illustrations although dark are amusing. Do not put the book down and you will see!

[Sai · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful story told on a palestinian shawl :(

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional in both concept and execution.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is lovely but of course the key is the artwork.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations using the shawl. Like seeing the critters on both sides of the fringe/holes.

[Ananya Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful! Loved the whimsical story paired with the creative visuals. I wish the story had explicitly mentioned Palestine, as the imagery was based on tatreez.

[Brigham Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute idea to use the embroidery shawl as background. Story was fine

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous mixed media illustrations.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title was of interest to me because of the embroidery aspect and especially and especially with its emphasis on doing the illustrations superimposed upon the back of a piece of embroidery which always has an unfinished look to it. The actual embroidered shawl used for the illustrations was made in Palestine. This title was first published in Argentina and the English version in the USA in 2024.
It is marketed as a picture book and its physical format is more of a beginning chapter book, even within the text having chapter designations. A unique and unusual title.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my first 5 star picture book in a while, and I must give it a 5+. From the brilliant creative mind of internationally renowned author-illustrator Isol, comes a storied so layered and nuanced it must be labeled a readership of "ALL".

Leilah and her mother and grandma live in a perfect village with perfect red triangle houses all lined up orderly; the village lies at the edge of the forest where Leilah is not allowed to go for fear of her getting lost. (How silly, because über-confident Leilah may lose things, but never herself.) Leilah's mother gently reprimands her for constantly losing things, but Leilah insists the things are not lost. They have just fallen into the land of The Other Side. Based on her grandmother's craftwork and stories, Leilah decides to look for her lost things, only to discover that ~~ no wonder!! ~~ so THAT'S where everything has disappeared to: there are holes between the two worlds and her missing items have fallen into the other world. So Leilah goes about with her thread and needle, sewing the holes she's discovered between the two worlds. Once finished however, the girl wakes the next day to find her upright world covered in a deep fog. Feeling responsible for this unsettling weatherly turn of events, the young girl sets about taking apart her previous day's stitchery to set the two world's aright.

Have you ever turned over a beautiful work of embroidery? The backside is a tangle of knots, loose threads, and end pieces, but which, in the eye of the beholder, could be seen as a brilliant work of abstract art. In Loose Threads, the art is the book: Isol has created a lovely patterned embroidery setting of the "right" world, ~~ the world in which the young narrator lives with her mother and her storytelling grandmother, whose shared stories of the Other Side depict everything as the opposite or the converse perspective of the self-same embroidery piece including a five-legged lynx. Contrasting, the brilliant-red-on-black embroideried art of the village and the Other Side, are chalk-like drawn rough images of Leilah and her family set on a soft wood-grained background and framed in soft greens and tan embroidered/cross-stitched border.

In the backmatter Isol explains that the embroideried art in the book is actually photos of a shawl given to her by Palestine women's art group on a visit to engage with the Tamer Institute of Art as part of a project, "Palestine Art History as Told Through Everyday Objects".