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What Can You Do With a Line?

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Lines are amazing—from thick to thin (and from thicker to thinner)! Just think of what you can make with them: triangles, squares, and circles. Houses, tigers, even ice cream cones! What else can you do with a line?

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2019

33 people want to read

About the author

Gülşah Yemen

8 books3 followers

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5 stars
31 (52%)
4 stars
20 (33%)
3 stars
7 (11%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
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0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for PattyMacDotComma.
1,772 reviews1,056 followers
December 30, 2020
5★
“When lines, shapes, and colors get together. . .they can become anything you can possibly dream of!”


This is a terrific, inspiring little book that makes me itchy to doodle! It’s the perfect gift to give along with a coloured pencil set and a sketchpad. In my house, the backs of envelopes and the day's mail were always covered with kids cartoons and drawings. I had to send our accountant a beautifully typed letter (back in the day), which a toddler had drawn over, but not enough to make it hard to read. No time to retype.

But I digress. This is just delightful! Every page of my preview says COPYRIGHT, because of course it is, but I have taken the liberty of copying a few to show you what I mean.

“You can draw long lines . . . and short lines”

The little character reminds me of the thumbprint books that used to inspire my kids to draw things based on their thumbprint. Here, it is a superhero!

“Sometimes I feel like drawing thin lines.”

There are many varieties of colourful squiggles, loose shapes, and geometric shapes. There is a humorous undertone (overtone?) to all of them

“Triangles!”

We are introduced to lines that wander around the page and off the page, into the wild.

“Sometimes lines get sad and form a cloud. Sometimes lines get confused and tangle into a ball.”

And now we move into some artwork and storytelling lines. There is a tiny person fishing at the top, fish in the river, and a couple of musicians playing the sax and guitar at the bottom. Something for everybody!

“Lines trace the flowing water of a river and carry the notes of a joyful melody.”

There are examples of kids’ art, taped to the wall, ostensibly torn from notepads (you can see the little holes). And then there’s the following advice, which I can’t support strongly enough.

Experiment and get creative!

Wonderful stuff! The author and illustrator come from Istanbul, where the author has been a pre-school teacher for many years, and the illustrator is a mechanical engineer with an MFA in illustration. Perfect combination, whether you’re encouraging a budding artist in technical drafting, or cartooning, or fine arts.

Doesn’t it make your fingers itch? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Chouette Publishing/CrackBoom! Books, for the preview copy from which I’ve pinched a few illustrations so you can see what a gem it is.
Profile Image for Dorie  - Cats&Books :) .
1,176 reviews3,809 followers
October 20, 2020
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***

This is another book by the talented combination of writer Gulsah Yemen and illustrator Capri Odabashi. This is just as wonderful as “What Can You Do With A Color”.

Most every parent can give a decent explanation of colors, but what about lines? This book came up with so many different ideas! “ lines can curve into circles!, Lines can bend into ovals. Lines can turn corners and make squares and triangles”.

After the cute little story the author encourages the child to use different tools such as pencils, crayons, pastels, paint! “Circles can become the wings of a butterfly. Rectangles can become a house and it’s door” this is accompanied by illustrations.

It’s no wonder these books are wonderful, the writer has been a preschool teacher for 12 years and the illustrator is a trained mechanical engineer. Together they make an absolutely fun look into the world of lines.

My words do not do justice to this book, you have to see it to enjoy the creativity! Another great book to add to your preschooler's library.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley
This book is set to publish on October 20, 2020
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,944 reviews258 followers
May 2, 2021
Turkish author/illustrator team Gülşah Yemen and Çağrı Odabaşı, who have also collaborated on What Can You Do With a Color? , team up in this picture-book examination of the line. Short or long, thin or wide, of any color, the line can be turned into a variety of shapes, and used to make a variety of pictures. The scribbly dot-narrator here explores the line and its potential as a means of creating art, and the book concludes with a brief afterword offering suggestions for young children, in getting going with their own artistic projects...

Originally published in Turkey as Bir Çizgi, and translated into English (and French) by the Montreal-based CrackBoom Books!, What Can You Do With a Line? is a lovely blend of concept book and inspirational manual. It reminded me of some of Peter Reynolds' picture-books, especially the Creatrilogy titles of The Dot , Ish and Sky Color . Gülşah Yemen is a preschool teacher in Istanbul, and her simple narrative and helpful suggestions seem perfectly geared toward getting young children excited about lines and shapes, and using them to make pictures. Illustrator Çağrı Odabaşı is a mechanical engineer, and his artwork here is also simple, working very well with the text. I like artists who aren't afraid of the white spaces on a page, and who know when less is more. The use of color and shape here is (appropriately enough) very well done. Recommended to younger picture-book readers in the market for concept books about shapes, or titles to encourage artistic expression.
Profile Image for April Gray.
1,389 reviews9 followers
November 18, 2020
A cute beginning art book for little ones. The reader is given ideas on different types of lines they can make, and what they can make with those lines. At the end, examples are given of types of tools and materials one could use to make lines, for example, markers, crayons, and different types of paint, and tools like fingers, brushes, and sponges. There are also a couple of art exercises given to get young artists started.

#WhatCanYouDoWithaLine #NetGalley
Profile Image for Alexis.
805 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2020
I really enjoy reading books about creativity and how ideas are generated and cultivated. Highly recommend this adorable picture book. Thank you NetGalley and Chouette Publishing for sharing this book for a review.
Profile Image for Pam.
9,749 reviews54 followers
September 4, 2020
I received an electronic ARC from Chouette Publishing through NetGalley.
Delightful book that challenges young readers to brainstorm and experiment with how a simple line can become so much more. Yemen demonstrates how important geometric shapes and figures are in a fun fashion to engage elementary level readers. Further information shared at the end for readers to do their experimenting and creating.
Profile Image for Westveil Books.
693 reviews61 followers
September 2, 2020
Thank you to the author and illustrator, the publisher, and NetGalley for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun little book! A little blob of tangled black lines tells kids all the different things they can do with simple lines. It starts with long and short, thin and thick lines, then morphs into shapes, becoming more complex as the book goes on. It works very well as a simple story, and I can absolutely see this making little kids giggle and want it read out loud again and again just because of how amusing it is, but I can also see this book inspiring future artists to pick up a pencil (or crayon) and let their imagination guide their hand.
Author 7 books12 followers
September 21, 2020
It is a cute children's art book for little kids. There is a hairy cartoon with big eyes who teaches everything you can draw with a straight line. And once you innovate and curve lines you can draw anything.
A funny educational book to teach drawing skills to little kids.
I liked shades and colors used in this book. A very good and readable book.
Profile Image for Linnea.
79 reviews1 follower
September 1, 2020
a cute imagination catalyst for preschoolers prompting, as the title indicates, "what can you do with a line?"

while the general art style is cute, and while i appreciate the message the author/illustrator duo was going for, the overall picture book feels inconsistent. some pages are adorable and work with the words to create a fun and spread to explore (one page creatively has a river of lines flow into a musical staff). other pages are a little confusing, sometimes due to the wording (though that could be explained due to the translation from turkish), sometimes due to the art (e.g. the colors on page about colors have a completely different texture from everything else in the book). i also wish the book had taken a little more time exploring what happens when you combine shapes and colors (though i am aware that the duo have also created a book called "what can you do with a color?" that ostensibly explores more, at least in terms of color).

ultimately, i was not blown away by this picture book. however, the suggestions at the end for approaching art projects would be a welcome addition to the arsenal of any adult who needs to keep a child's mind active and engaged!

thank you to netgalley and crackboom! books/chouette publishing for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Michelle Clement.
71 reviews14 followers
November 13, 2020
This is a playful book about a line and the many things you can do with it, if you just use your imagination! If your imagination needs a kick start, turn the pages to follow the little pencil blob as they try to get their ideas going! Why not start with drawing how and what you feel? Soon enough, you’ll see that a line is way more than just a plain old line. Lines can make so much other stuff! They can even take you on a journey or two. I really loved how these expressive but minimal hand-drawn illustrations encourage you to follow along and draw a line of your own, and how the orientation of some pages encourages the reader to interact and start using their imagination as they go. This is a fun primer and exploration of the act of drawing: just start with a line and see where it takes you!
Profile Image for Emily Decker.
35 reviews21 followers
September 7, 2020
Once again, this author and illustrator have done it again with this book on lines! Another book for elementary age and younger children to teach them about lines and all that can be done with them. Comparisons of lines in sizes, lengths, what you can make and more pull this book together to show at the end that lines and colors create art. We just use our imagination. My daughter really enjoyed this one, as did I. Lots of colors and patterns to talk about and discuss. And at the end of the book, further education on writing tools and other supplies you can use to create lines and art.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, author and illustrator for allowing me and my child this electronic version to read in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Storywraps.
1,968 reviews39 followers
September 7, 2020
This creative book is perfect for young readers. The book ignites imaginations as it teaches kids about all the possibilities that lines can morph into. Their potential is limitless. Lines can be thick or thin, be curved into circles and ovals, turn corners to make squares, triangles and rectangles, trace the flow of water of a river and carry the notes of a joyful melody, just to highlight a few.

Kids are encouraged to experiment with different tools and materials and play around with lines taking them wherever their imaginations venture. The book will inspire kids to try their hand at becoming an "artiste extraordinare". I love books that are a call to action... fun action... that kids will respond to eagerly. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Danielle .
299 reviews67 followers
September 2, 2020
What Can You Do With a Line? This is a fantastic book for young readers! It helps teach and illustrate a number of concepts and has interactive activities to get kids drawing. The illustrations are fun and simple as well, showing kids the magic that can be created with simple lines and drawing tools.
Many thanks to Chouette Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.
Profile Image for Donna Maguire.
4,866 reviews119 followers
September 20, 2020
Review to be added to Amazon UK and US on 27th October 2020 - publication day!

I liked the idea behind this book, I liked how it teaches the different shapes and things you can make with a simple line, I liked the mix of short, long, thick and thin too. It was easy to follow and a perfect book for my three-year-old daughter too. It is 4 stars from me for this one – a cute little read!
Profile Image for Deena Abutaha.
210 reviews9 followers
October 4, 2020
What can you do with a line? Apparently a lot. This is a great book to introduce kids to the beginning of art and how it's just a bunch of lines going in different directions and taking on different shapes. Would recommend for art teachers teaching younger kids.
*This review is based on a copy received from NetGalley for an honest opinion.
Profile Image for Narmeen.
498 reviews42 followers
December 16, 2021
I wish I was taught about lines, colors and shapes in this manner when I was a child.

I love how many things can be connected to lines. I love how the author introduces emotions and music through lines, it gives a child a medium to express themselves through art when words and actions are not enough to express themsleves!
Profile Image for Meredith.
265 reviews15 followers
August 28, 2020
**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

A cute book, something to help kids learn to think outside of the box.
Not as good as the book by the same authors about colors, but still something that every little kid should read at least once.
Profile Image for Emilee (emileereadsbooks).
1,597 reviews42 followers
August 28, 2020
Teaching children about drawing, shapes, and colors while fueling their creativity, this is a delightful little picture book. I love how it provided tools for children to think about drawing.

Thanks to NetGalley and CrackBoom! Books for a free digital copy for my review.
7 reviews
August 31, 2020
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love the idea of this book, it's simple yet engaging for young readers. Showing them simple shapes and basic colours to help with creativity and vocabulary, with inspiring illustrations to match.
Profile Image for Sarah.
207 reviews5 followers
September 3, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This book reminds me of books by Peter Reynolds. It is fantastic! The book would be a great introduction to making basic shapes and drawing. I can't wait to buy a physical copy for my classroom!
Profile Image for Masha.
99 reviews31 followers
April 20, 2024
Well, I can do many things with a line - how about you? ;-) I loved the illustrations made by Çağrı Odabaşı.
Profile Image for hermionegrangerlifegoals.
113 reviews16 followers
November 17, 2020
The second book I've read from this author-illustrator duo and it didn't disappoint! I loved reading this just as much as the other one! The same munchkin from before narrates this book about lines, and drawing them into different shapes to create masterpieces! First they did colors, and everything a child should know about them, and then they did lines, making shapes to use with colors. Similar to the first book, there is info at the end of the book to demonstrate even more learning for children. The author adds that different tools and materials can result in different lines and shapes. Using a sponge for example with some water-paints, will yield a different result than using finger-paints or paint-brushes with oil paints.

The story itself is educational and fun. The illustrations in this one are bit different than with the colors one. This book actually includes a whole munchkin family at a wedding or some event I believe, and they wear clothes as well! My favorite munchkin drawing in this book was the sherlock one.

Overall I highly recommend this book along with the other one, "What Can You Do With Colors?" and I would definitely buy this as a gift for any young pre-school/kindergarten kids!

*Thank you so much to the publishers; Chouette Publishing, the author; Gülşah Yemen, the illustrator; Çağrı Odabaşı, and Netgalley for my free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Kaitlyn.
1,651 reviews
November 11, 2020
I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute book about lines and what all you can make out of lines. They change shape and color throughout the book.
Profile Image for R..
41 reviews5 followers
June 3, 2021
"احسن لكم تجربوه، عجبني الرسم
احسن لكم ترسموا فيه كمان"
-احمد (٦ سنوات)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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