Loose Threads: A Picture Book

A young girl discovers the value of the chaotic, creative underside in this picture book from Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Isol.

Young 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 town lies the Other Side--a messy and wild world, filled with merry inhabitants and strange beasts, a peculiar world that Leilah often visits in her dreams.

So when Leilah's mom has had enough of her daughter constantly losing her things, Leilah comes up with a plan: her lost possessions must be falling down into the Other Side, and so all she has to do to fix things is mend the holes appearing in her world. It's a genius idea, and nothing will ever go missing again! But Leilah will soon learn that some loose threads don't need to be sewn up, and that keeping things in can also mean shutting things out...

Inspired by Palestinian embroidery and one of her favorite shawls, Isol spins a tale that celebrates the different sides that are all part of life's rich tapestry.

Isol is an Argentinian author and illustrator of children's books. She has won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, has twice been selected as a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and has won a Golden Apple at the Bratislava Biennial of Illustration. With over 20 titles published in various languages, her specialty is narration through the dialogue between image and word. Isol lives with her family in Buenos Aires.

Lawrence Schimel is a full-time author, writing in both Spanish and English, who has published over 120 books in a wide range of genres. He is also a prolific literary translator. He lives in Madrid.