Linty: A Pocketful of Adventure

Written and illustrated by Mike Shiell

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0494-1

64 pp.

Ages 6-9

May 2022

What kind of a life does a piece of lint have while tucked into the corner of a pocket, ignored by all, and oblivious to much? Well, author-illustrator Mike Shiell takes us deep into that pocket to find out.

From Linty: A Pocketful of Adventure by Mike Shiell

Day after day, a piece of link in the front pocket of a pair of jeans wakes up, does some cardio and some sightseeing and plays Solo Marco Polo. They are days of limited activities but it's all he knows. Then one day, the old jeans are passed on to a younger brother and everything changes for the amorphous lint.

From Linty: A Pocketful of Adventure by Mike Shiell

For the first time in forever, the piece of lint is joined by other entities. There's an acorn, a lollipop, a bottle cap, food and more. They give him the name Linty and want to know about him so he shows them what he does. In fact, they turn his game of Solo Marco Polo into a game for all and Linty declares it the best day of his life.

From Linty: A Pocketful of Adventure by Mike Shiell

Then Wash Day, something with which Linty is unfamiliar, arrives and everyone else is vacated from the pocket but Linty chooses to stay behind. After a tumultuous wash and dry–with a dangerous encounter with a lint trap–a fluffier Linty is missing his friends. Still he finds a way to get past his fear and look beyond his world in a new way to reconnect with them.

 

I've only known Mike Shiell from his illustrations in the non-fiction series Gross Science by Edward Kay and from his illustrations in Caroline Adderson' s Jasper John Dooley series so I'm so pleased that he's letting his own quirky and lighthearted writing shine along with his artwork in this early graphic novel. Mike Shiell blends a simple but cheeky story with playful artwork which will be enjoyed by early readers, ages 6-9, who are reading on their own but enjoy the illustrations that come with graphic novels. I'm sure they'll pick up on the pickle socks and cow underwear in the wash, the broken mustard packet joining Linty in the pocket, and the mess of a child's room. Most significantly, they'll have a different perspective on everything from what they put in their pockets, to the force of a washing machine and dryer, and even playing Marco Polo. In fact, I can just imagine wonderful lessons that could come with children delving into their own pockets. So, not only will young ones be entertained and laugh with Linty and his new friends, Linty: A Pocketful of Adventure will have them thinking about what's at the bottom of their own pockets and speculating about how that lint and other things spend their days there.

Marco?