Between the Lines

The illustrations move from full, vivid color into a drained, colorless world and then back again, mirroring a neighborhood that falls apart and is later rediscovered. At its heart is a small boy who cares deeply about the people around him. As one child's choices ripple outward, the story shows how a single effort can make a real difference.

He watches his neighbors slowly stop talking to one another, and the colors around them begin to fade. A thunderstorm then wipes away the last traces of cloudless blue skies and sunny days that tasted of lemon ice pops, and it leaves a split in the road that no one repairs. As the grown-ups drift further apart, the boy keeps thinking back to how things used to be.

Unwilling to accept a world without color, he resolves to take action and set things right.