 An armed guard stands at the gutter of the book. He follows the angry general’s order without question and the order is that no one can cross the line (the gutter) to the right-hand page of the book. A lone person and a dog try to cross. The guard yells “STOP!” More and more people and creatures appear until the left-hand page is full. A red ball bounces over the line and the guard allows two children to retrieve it. Then, the floodgates open and everyone crosses. When the general sees the crowd, he tries to arrest the guard. The crowd rebels. “NO WAY! HE’S OUR HERO!” Colorful endpapers identify the 63 characters in the book. The speech-bubbled storyline and lively illustrations rendered in colored marker enhance this story about injustice and peaceful questioning of authority. mjw |
| Title: Don’t Cross The Line Author: Isabel Minhos Martins Illustrator: Bernardo P. Carvalho Publisher: Gecko Press, New Zealand Copyright: 2016 Original Language: Portuguese Translator: Daniel Hahn Original Title: Daqui ninguem passa! Original Publisher: Planeta Tangerina, Portugal Original Copyright: 2106 ISBN: 978-1776570744 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Portuguese Author’s residence: Portugal Illustrator’s ethnicity: Portuguese Illustrator’s residence: Portugal Subjects: Authoritarianism. Dictatorship, Generals, Government, Peace, Pets, Revolution Social issues |
Don’t Cross The Line!
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