Line Up!: Animals in Remarkable Rows

by Susan Stockdale

Overview

Line up for this fascinating exploration of animal behavior from an award-winning author-illustrator!

Much like humans, many animals line up for a variety of reasons. Rather than forming lines for the school bus or recess, the animals featured in Susan Stockdale’s book form lines for:

• safety: baby Mallard ducklings follow their mother to the water for their first swim

• warmth: turtles climb into a stacked line for a better share of the sun’s rays

• navigation: Arctic wolves follow the prints in the snow left by the pack leader

• food: ants line up to follow the scent of their leader to food and safety

• travel: pink flamingos form a line to reduce wind resistance and fly more efficiently

Featuring birds, crustaceans, fish, insects, mammals, and reptiles from around the world, Line Up is a cozy and comforting book that reminds us of our similarities while illuminating some specific, distinctive behaviors.

A South Carolina Book Award Nominee

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682633229
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	01/10/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	282,316
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Susan Stockdale began her art career as a textile designer for the apparel industry, providing her an opportunity to express her love of pattern and color. Today, pattern and color remain central to her work as the author and illustrator of critically acclaimed picture books that celebrate nature. Her books have won a variety of awards including the ALSC Notable Children’s Book, NCTE Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12, and the Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

01/16/2023

“Have you ever been asked/ to line up in a row?/ Some animals do this/ when they’re on the go!” Beginning with a question that connects animalian experiences to those of human children, Stockdale’s jolly rhyming exploration of animal queues relays habits of birds, crustaceans, mammals, and more following a leader across diverse habitats. Upbeat narration directs and educates, detailing, for example, a spotted puffer lining up to be cleaned by other fish, and a hermit crab readying to select a new shell. While some critters go single-file to hunt or migrate, others relax: “Line up, tired turtle,/ and rest on a back./ Cozy up close/ while you’re propped in a stack.” Digitally styled acrylic art foregrounds wildlife sequences amid flat-hued natural environments: a procession of ants crawl up a tulip’s stalk; shrews chain through layers of autumn leaves. When fairywrens nestle in a sleepy string, it’s a chance to bid the reader good night following the fun- and fact-filled creature parade. Back matter offers more facts about each animal. Ages 2–5. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"[A] jolly rhyming exploration of animal queues. . . . Upbeat narration directs and educates. . . . [A] fun- and fact-filled creature parade."—Publishers Weekly

"Eye-catching and engaging . . . . A perfect STEM read-aloud."—Booklist

"The rhyme and rhythm make this a pleasure to read aloud. . . . Another remarkable reminder of nature’s wonders."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2022-10-12
Just like schoolchildren, some animals line up regularly.

Once again, Stockdale invites readers to marvel at the natural world, with examples of creatures who, surprisingly, share characteristics with humans. Dedicating her latest to “children who line up everywhere,” she spotlights animals who do the same. Her interesting choices include creatures likely to be familiar and unfamiliar to the target audience and come from all over the world: mallards, African elephants, white-spotted pufferfish, Arctic wolves, ants, chinstrap penguins, spiny lobsters, and superb fairywrens, among others. Readers who have enjoyed earlier titles will recognize the format. Each spread covers a different species; two smoothly rhyming couplets introduce the creature and a significant fact. On the final spread, as the fairywrens line up on their branch to sleep, an extra couplet offers “sweet dreams” to bedtime listeners, too. The text is set directly on full-bleed images of the lined-up animals. These clean, flat acrylics, featuring solid colors, are simplified but clearly show the animals in their appropriate environments. The rhyme and rhythm make this a pleasure to read aloud; relatively large sans-serif type and repetition of opening lines will help those reading on their own. Backmatter thumbnails are captioned with more information about each of the creatures for the more capable child or adult reader. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Another remarkable reminder of nature’s wonders. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews