SCRIBBLEVILLE

In Seussian style, this modern-day fable explains the value of diversity. Here, a straight-line man moves to the titular town, where everything—and everyone—is scribbled. The neighbors watch suspiciously and talk about the newcomer, especially when he meets a local lady. “It starts with one, but that’s not where it ends. / He’ll pick up the phone and he’ll call his friends. / And they’ll move here too. It will cause such a fuss. / There’ll be more of them than there are of us!” It’s a little heavy handed, but lines like these are bound to spark discussion. Holwitz’s black-and-white art—rendered with pencil, Magic Marker and chalk on vellum—illustrates the point: Straight lines are increasingly integrated with sophisticated scribbles. (Picture book. 8-12)