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.--Ching, Edie Copyright 2015 Booklist

Gr 1-4-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. VERDICT The strange images may not be to everyone's taste, but they certainly take fans of the surreal in amusing directions.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Great-Uncle George was a magician whose "enchanted pen" has created an array of fancifully surreal illustrations, each begun with the same-shaped pen stroke and each accompanied by a brief story starter. Great-Uncle George's mustachioed portrait appears next to a succinct history of the fictional magician and his special pen: "With this pen he would draw an ordinary line. That line turned into a painting. He drew the line many times and painted hundreds of paintings, but all that remains are the ones that you see in this book." Readers are then invited to find that lineduplicated on the first pageand to "finish each story." The colorful, absurd, detailed illustrations feature a fantastical array of charactersmany of them anthropomorphic animalsin an intriguing style that defies easy classification. Each absorbing illustration includes a sentence or two, always beginning with the titular "Once upon a line" and ending with ellipses. Unfortunately, most "story starters" are so closely aligned with the art that they invite controlled, one-line responses rather than imaginative stories. For example, a hilarious depiction of a tiny knight atop an enormous, pink octopus is accompanied by, "Once upon a line, there was a knight who was allergic to horses. This was not a problem because." The artwork is captivating, finding the pen stroke is challenging, and the text will spark some animated conversation. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.