The Line in the Sand

In this deceptively simple wordless picture book, acclaimed author/illustrator Thao Lam creates a parable about conflict and conflict resolution. As the book begins, a group of colourful monsters is peacefully playing on a beach, flying kites, throwing a beachball, building sandcastles, and gathering shells. One monster wanders by, dragging a stick which creates the proverbial “line in the sand”. Most of the monsters are oblivious and carry on with their games, but two monsters – one orange and one green – notice the line and wonder what it signifies. Does it mean something? Is it an important divider? Is it safe to cross it? Are they allowed to cross it?

First the orange monster tries to cross the line but is blocked by the green monster who angrily gesticulates and points to the line. The two begin to scuffle, and then a bee arrives on the scene, which escalates the dispute into full-scale foot-stomping rage. Soon, the two monsters are enveloped in a cloud of dust, and, when the dust settles, they are puzzled to realize that the line in the sand has disappeared. The two look around quizzically, then recognize their own foolishness. They start to laugh and then to hug in friendship. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the playground, the line remains but is being incorporated into the monsters’ games. On the final page, readers see the monster originally responsible for creating the line, still meandering across the beach trailing a stick. The line is meaningless and arbitrary, but the monsters have the ability to give it meaning: it can be a barrier that divides them or a positive feature of their games, or they can erase it altogether.

The illustrations are bright and colourful with elements of collage that provide interesting patterns and texture. The endearing monsters are not in the least frightening, and each is created with a variety of colours, patterns, hair, eyes, and appendages, with expressive faces and gestures that make the story clear despite the lack of words. Told in graphic novel format, the narrative is quite easy to follow, and the different size panels are used to strong effect to reflect pacing. As the action intensifies, the illustrations become smaller and “zoom in” on the separate actions of the green and orange monsters. When the conflict is resolved, the illustrations “zoom out” so we can see the whole scene once again.

While the foolish dispute between the orange and green monsters is easy to understand, the larger implications of the book would likely not be apparent to a young child. However, a parent, caregiver, or teacher could use this book to stimulate a conversation about how the message applies to real-world conflict, whether on the playground or on the world stage.