[I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.  No other compensation was received.]

I had no idea that a book filled with only bright pink and yellow lines could be so absorbing, and yet it is so easy to lose track of time when playing The Game of Lines.

Each time I look through this book with one of my sons, I find myself oooh’ing and ahhhh’ing over each new image as if I were looking at fireworks.  Each combination of panels is a delightful and enchanting surprise — even after you’ve looked through it a bazillion times.

I’ve been delighted to watch my littlest one flip the split pages, turn the book upside down, and babble to us as he “reads” this book.  When we look through this book together, he’ll do the baby sign for “more” when we’ve come to the end, and I’ll open it back up and look through it with him again and again.

I’ve also been impressed that a book that is only variations of lines can have so many subtle teaching moments with my eldest son.  The other night when I was looking through this book with him, I asked him what color would come next in the pattern, we talked about vertical and horizontal lines, and the differences between right, acute, and obtuse angles.  Then when we finished, we turned the book upside down and noticed that one of the images looks like a tunnel — so I took a moment and talked with him about perspective in pictures.  We spent 45 minutes looking through this book — which very well could have been a bedtime-delay tactic, but nevertheless, we had a great time.  This may be a board book, but it absolutely has universal appeal.

I’m a huge fan of this book!  The whole game series by Herve Tullet is truly brilliant — they are smart enough for a child, and easy enough for an adult!

All Ages.  Phaidon Press.  February 2015. 14 pages. ISBN: 978-0714868769  Fiction. Board book.

Where to Get it:

• [Affiliate Link] Amazon.com
• [Independent Bookstore] Indiebound.org
• [Library] Worldcat.org
• [Publisher] Phaidon.com

You Should Read/Play The Line Game because:

• It is gorgeous!
• It is 14 pages that have a V-shaped split separating the tops from the bottoms.  You can turn the top or bottom panels independently and each combination of lines creates a new image.  It has great appeal to little ones who enjoy turning pages.
• This book encourages looking at the same thing from multiple perspectives.  You can look through it right-side up or upside down, you can turn it on its side — and it is only fun.
• It is an empowering book.  My littlest son will grab this book off the bookshelf, come to the couch, crawl up, and flip through this book while his older brother is reading through his books.
• Everyone can enjoy this book.  The toddler, the child, the parents, the grandparents — it has an undeniably universal appeal.
• When I look through this book with this littlest one, I play and make sound effects and enjoy his giggles.  When I look through this book with my eldest one, we talk about angles, patterns, perspective, and even book design. For example, how would it look different if the panels had been cut at a 90 degree angle? You can make this book into whatever you want it to be based on with whom you’re reading it.
• This is just one book in a series developed by Hervé Tullet and Phaidon press.  I invite you to take a look at all of them here at phaidon.com.

From The Game of Lines by Hervé Tullet.

From The Game of Lines by Hervé Tullet.

Book Trailer:

Author Website:

• Herve Tullet 

Where Obtained:  I received a review copy from the publisher. No other compensation was received.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

FTC Disclosures:  Some of the links in the post above are Amazon affiliate links and others are IndieBound affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase something, I will receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Which goes to fund my family’s picture book habit.  It’s a vicious cycle, but we manage.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”