Leaving a cat alone with string always yields something entertaining.
"I had written this 'how to make a string ball' comic and I had always wanted to base a book on that comic where a cat gets inside that hollow ball and rolls around," says author and illustrator Chris Monroe regarding her latest picture book String Ball. The story focuses on a lonely cat that rolls, flies, slides, and adventures across a neighborhood landscape all within the confines of a child's arts and crafts project.
Those familiar with Monroe's other children's books including Monkey with a Tool Belt and Sasquatch and Squirrell will notice that this story is presented without words. "Words have been a big part of all the things I've done prior," says Monroe. "You just have to let the picture speak and not just redundantly explain what's going on right in front of your eyes." Devotees of Monroe's comic work might also notice that the visuals have more of a comic feel with mostly black and white images - only the titular string ball is red.
Signed copies of String Ball are available at Marshall Hardware in the Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth. The book is also available at local bookstores and online through Lerner Publishing.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
