A Long Piece of String

by William Wondriska

Look! A long piece of string. Let's follow it!

Stunning in both its boldness and simplicity, this rediscovered classic by distinguished graphic designer William Wondriska, originally published in 1963, leads readers on a clever journey of discovery and delight.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2010

Reviews

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I was reading it with my son and we were whizzing along through it, watching the long piece of string loop around all sorts of objects and interesting things; and I was wondering where the author was taking us. Really was without a clue. And we got to the end and I was thinking 'what?!?' and then I came to the page where the author just out and told me what I had missed, and then I went Oooh and smiled and thought to myself that this was a clever little book.

Now of course, the urge is there for me to tell you what this book is about, but I'm going to resist saying because at least some of you, whose minds are also on dinner or homework and such things while you are reading, might miss the clues and come to the end and be surprised by this little book for wee ones too. (No doubt, the more astute and focused observers amongst you will 'get it' before I did. But then again, you've been warned to be on the alert.)

But let me tell you what I can safely say:::
--This book is for toddlers, preschoolers, and some, but not all, kindergartners.
--The ARTWORK is very much like you see on the cover. It's all done in the orangey-red, with images that are simply drawn. (There was at least one where neither my boy or I could determine what sort of mammal it definitively was.)
--This vagueness and the simplicity of shape should appeal to the very young.
--There are no words, just the string linking the drawings. With toddlers and preschoolers I would stress identifying the objects, and even tracing their finger over the string. With 5 year olds, I'm likely to go over it once or twice and then leave it to them to 'read' the book.

Pam T
mom and blogger

[Christine Turner]

Look! A long piece of string. Let's follow it! Stunning in both its boldness and simplicity, this rediscovered classic by distinguished graphic designer William Wondriska, originally published in 1963, leads readers on a clever journey of discovery and delight.

Subject: String -- Juvenile fiction.

Notes
William Wondriska founded Wondriska Associates in 1961, and became known for developing the image and marketing for such clients as the Walt Disney Company, Children's Television Workshop, the Junior Literary Guild, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art, and the Boston Symphony. He is the recipient of several national and international design awards.

Additional resources:
http://www.sightwordsgame.com/directi...

This book is unique, because the illustrations reflect the alphabet. However, this book does not include letters or words.

[Ethan & Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I expected.

[Sophie Carbone]

Cute!

[Nubes 🌸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simpatico! 🐘🌻🧵

[Katerine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like vintage kids books, that a good choice! My daughter and I enjoy very much the simplicity of its graphic design. The book is also ideal for bilingual kids. Because for me it's not a book about abc, but about the relation between pictures and sounds, between words in different languages, between drawings and storytelling too. There is so much to create about this single piece of string! The choices of objects and animals are somehow surprising too; it seems to me that they have been selected for their visual impact or for the sake of some achieved "visual rhythm".

[Terry]

My kids picked out this book. My sons loved to trace the string with their fingers. They had fun trying to guess the name of the object on the page, trying to match it to the letter in the alphabet we were supposed to be on.

Read the full review at the Reading Tub.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic (1963) children's book with a both conventional and also surprising ending. Silent, but bears some relation for me to the seemingly random imaginative plot development of Harold and the Purple Crayon. A string moves along, like the pen line it also is, encircling various seemingly random objects. Highly recommend finding it for kids of all ages.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh - this book is so lovely in its simplicity. Hurray to Chronicle Books for bringing this book, originally copyrighted in 1963, into my life. Thinking about the alphabet has never been so fun for me!

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book with orange block illustrations wrapped with a single piece of string. The book is actually an alphabet book of sorts-- the string tangles around objects from A to Z.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering this book is 47 years old...it is pretty amazing in all of it's simpleness. An alphabet book completely without words. The black string and the red pictures contrast beautifully.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless alphabet book shows objects for each letter of the alphabet connected by a long piece of string. My favorite was the volcano for V.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful reissue of an alphabet book originally published in 1963.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One brilliantly illustrated wordless alphabet book!

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit I didn't get it at first. Wordless alphabet book.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple. No words. An alphabet book, but the reader must provide the words. All connected with a piece of string.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looks not unlike when the kittens get hold of my knitting.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-obvious ABC.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a minimalist alphabet book ... what's not to love?