Loose Threads

Leilah is always losing things, and she is convinced that she knows why. Her lost possessions must be falling through to the Other Side, a wild and fantastical world that exists on the other side of reality. Isol's illustrations are unlike anything I've seen in a picture book: the backgrounds are photographs of her own hand-embroidered shawl given to her during a visit to Palestine. Leilah and the other characters are drawn right onto the fabric, as though they are inside the cloth. It's a book about creativity and chaos and what we cannot see. A favorite for ages seven and up, it's also a book I've seen adults gift their friends.