Tommaso and the Missing Line [Hardcover]

Matteo Pericoli (Author)

Book Description

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

ON THE DAY the strange thing happens—the day his line goes missing—Tommaso knows what he must do: find it. It’s the line on the drawing he puts in his pocket every day, the line he drew of the hill by his nonna’s house, and he knows he must find that very one.

Is that it there in the curl of the cat’s tail? No. Is it there in the antenna of the car? No, not it. It suddenly dawns on Tommaso whom to ask: Nonna. Nonna will know.

In a spare story with a fable-like tone, Matteo Pericoli takes us through an Italian landscape in search of Tommaso’s line—and in doing so brings us along on a journey of discovery. Exquisitely detailed black-and-white art is punctuated by a bright ribbon of orange: Tommaso’s missing line (or is it?).

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Tommaso keeps his favorite drawing in his pocket. It’s a sketch he’s made of his grandmother’s house atop a gentle hill, bordered by trees, distant mountains, and stick-figure versions of himself and Grandma. It’s a familiar and comforting image until, “One day a strange thing happened: one of the lines in Tommaso’s drawing was gone—disappeared.” The curved line that represented the hill has indeed vanished, and Tommaso goes on a hunt for the line that takes him through a crisply illustrated black-and-white Italian cityscape. Tommaso finds plenty of lines—illustrated in vibrant orange—but none of these dog-leashes, car antennas, cat tails, or barber hair clippings are right. Initially reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955), Pericoli’s intricate artwork reveals his expertise as an architect, and will reward the young reader on the lookout for all the lines Tommaso misses. The text becomes a bit repetitive when Tommaso returns to Grandma’s house, but readers may be more interested in the white lettering, which stands out so vibrantly against the orange background. Grades K-3. --Daniel Kraus

Review

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2008:
"Each opening of the book is elegant, balanced and draws readers in. A gem."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First edition. edition (December 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375841024
• ISBN-13: 978-0375841026
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.3 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,111,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matteo Pericoli is an architect, author and illustrator.
His books have been published by Random House, Knopf, Chronicle and, in 2009, by Simon & Schuster. His work also appeared in The New Yorker magazine, The New York Times, Farrar Straus & Giroux and Rizzoli among others.
From 1996 through 2000, he worked as project architect of the Jubilee Church in Tor Tre Teste (Rome, Italy) in Richard Meier's studio.

In Progress:
- London Unfurled (Picador, London, Fall 2011 - Summer 2012)

Completed work:
- The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York (Simon & Schuster, November 3, 2009)
- Manhattan Unfurled (Random House, 2001)
- Manhattan Within (Random House, 2003)
- See the City: the Journey of Manhattan Unfurled (Knopf for Young Readers, 2004)
- To the 5 Boroughs, Beastie Boys (Capitol Records, 2004)
- New York e altri disegni (Quodlibet, 2005)
- The True Story of Stellina ( Knopf for Young Readers, 2006)
- Skyline of the World, American Airlines terminal (JFK, 2007)
- World Unfurled (Chronicle Books, 2008)
- Tommaso and the Missing Line (Knopf for Young Readers, 2008)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have read any of Matteo's previous books and enjoy his style you'll simply fall in love with this book!, June 7, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tommaso and the Missing Line (Hardcover)

Tommaso was a little boy who had the unusual habit of keeping "a drawing in his pocket." Many people probably thought that was a bit odd, but things got even stranger when he looked at the drawing only to find one of the lines was missing. Startled by this turn of events he asked his mother "Where did my line go" She didn't know. It was a landscape drawing that "showed a house on a hill, a tall tree and some mountains. - And two people - him and his grandma." It was something that meant a lot to him.

He asked his mother again and she told him that it couldn't just disappear. He asked an old dog who was out on the street. Of course the dog didn't' answer him. He asked a mechanic named Gregorio. The only line he knew about was an antenna on a car. He asked a cat who was taking a nap. Now that cat didn't even open his eyes. He was not interested in a little boy and his problems. He went to ask Luigi at the barbershop. While he was cutting his hair Tommaso told him all about the drawing, but the barber replied, "a line is just a line" and told him to draw it again. The only thing to do was to go visit his nonna. Nonnas know everything and she would help him!

This book as stated, "leads us through an Italianate landscape." The simple, but beautifully detailed line drawings bring to mind New Yorker cartoon illustrations and may not appeal to all people, but will be loved by many. The story itself is charming and Tommaso's search for his missing line is quaint and appealing. This would be a lovely read aloud book to share with your child. If you have read any of Matteo's previous books and enjoy his style you'll simply fall in love with this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where Did My Line Go, January 16, 2009

By 

Catherine W. Hughes (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tommaso and the Missing Line (Hardcover)

"Where did my line go?" asks Tommaso. In search of a missing line, from a drawing that he loved, Tommaso leaves to look. Antenna lines and cat tails lead Tommaso to Luigi's barbershop. Luigi, the barber, experienced with hair, reveals that lines come in different shapes and colors and that each one is unique. Tommaso travels to nonna's house and he finds the missing line in the very view he remembered; just as real as he remembered it. Carefully drafted ink illustrations and a simple but ingenious text make this a great pick for any 3-6-year old.