Madison Finds a Line [Hardcover]

Sunny Warner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Madison is out playing in her yard when she happens upon a piece of rope. Determined to find out just where the rope leads, she and her little black cat follow the line of the rope. They zig and zag and shimmy-shammy from one dance step to the next, from one adventure to another. Charming illustrations and jaunty rhyming text will have readers and listeners singing and tapping their feet as this special line takes Madison and her cat on a wild ramble and eventually safely back to where they ought to be!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Charming visuals buoy up an erratic rhyming narrative starring a spirited girl. With her trendy name, fetching wardrobe and sophisticated musical tastes (she can croon the "Basin Street Blues" and dance the salsa), young Madison is a stylish heroine. She also shows her plucky stuff as she "sets herself on a mission" to find out where a mysterious line in her backyard leads. Stepping through a curtain of bed sheets with her cat Caspar in tow, she pursues the line through its various incarnations (rope, zig-zag, steps, slope). It's an adventure that requires her to battle storms on the high seas, scale a mountain and even walk a tightrope: "Oh... that's all right," Madison says when confronted with a line "flying straight across/ a mile-high slice of air!" Her determination remains indefatigable: "I've walked a rope before./ Though this one might be harder,/ since it isn't on the floor." Warner's (The Magic Sewing Machine) verse scans unevenly and often uses words in confusing contexts (e.g., "At this terrible moment,/ awash in the foment,/ their umbrella obligingly bobbed into sight"). But her artwork, featuring Madison in an array of costumes against inviting backdrops, aptly captures the imagination of both a child and artist in flight. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Madison finds a piece of rope and follows it with her cat, Caspar. They travel beyond a curtain of sheets drying on a clothesline and enter a fantasy world, where they dance along the now pointy and curved rope to the jazzy beat of a jitterbug band. After a rainstorm, they lose their way in a flood, but sail to safety in Madison's umbrella and rediscover their rope at the end of the rainbow. They salsa, mountain climb, cross a perilous divide, sled, and finally dance their way home on "hungry feet." Pen-and-ink drawings with opaque color washes are rendered in a cartoon style that reinforces the playfulness of the story. As Madison enters the world of imagination, the edges of the illustrations become more fluid. Colors reinforce the mood of the story. The girl dances on hot red and yellow lines as she does the "shimmy-shammy rag" and on wavy gray ones as the rain appears. While the idea of the line leading children through imaginary adventures is a good one, they may have difficulty following it in less obvious scenes such as the rainstorm. Also, some of the rhymes are a bit forced. Carole Schaefer's The Squiggle (Crown, 1996) is a more fully realized example of where a rope and imagination can go, but Madison will appeal to young readers all the same.
Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (September 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395885086
• ISBN-13: 978-0395885086
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,129,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Energy, Rhythm, Imagination, November 21, 2007

By 

LRMarina - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madison Finds a Line (Hardcover)

I love the energy of the text and the illustrations. The illustrations have exquisite detail that almost pop out from the page as if there were real folds of fabric billowing out of the page. There is delight and joy in every page. Delightful!!!!

4.0 out of 5 stars great illustrations, March 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Madison Finds a Line (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful example of how a child's mind works. It brings the reader on a trip through a little girl's imaginitive world and illustrates just how many places her little mind can take her all before she has lunch!