Where the Best Stories Hide

by Roman Yasiejko, Ben Whitehouse (Illustrations)

That little boy sure had something to say with scribbles and squiggles and crayons that day! He knew every squiggle would soon tell a tale--this scrawl was a bird, and that loop was a whale . . . Nicholas has a big box of crayons and an even bigger imagination! One day in school, he doodles his way into trouble when his teacher catches him scribbling and coloring outside the lines of his coloring book. Challenged to explain his stories, Nicholas takes a dash of creativity and a dab of courage to wow the whole class and prove that the best stories sometimes hide outside the lines.Perfect for irrepressible creatives of all ages, Where the Best Stories Hide will inspire young artists of every stripe to bravely fill the world with color.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 25, 2020

Reviews

[Pine Reads Review]

“So that’s what they did for the rest of the day. They doodled and colored and giggled away. And Nicholas, well—you know what he did? He showed everyone where the best stories hide.”

Where the Best Stories Hide is a story of an imaginative little boy named Nicholas who, armed with his box of crayons and a mind chock-full of creativity, teaches his class the significance of coloring outside of the lines. When his teacher insists that he demonstrate his stories on the whiteboard, his inventiveness takes control and he pours out the sustenance of his imagination—inspiring the rest of his class to do the same and reminding his teacher that childhood is full of color and expression.

This story is a wonderful example of the importance of imagination in an often cookie-cutter world where the arts are sometimes put on the back burner. This lovely picture book is brimming with wonderful illustrations that truly bring Nicholas’s creativity to life and a cheerful, rhyming tempo that will appeal to both children and parents. Adult readers will be reminded of the imaginative spark of childhood while children will be inspired to remember the stories that they carry within.

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[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one...I wanted to love it. I came in loving it. But, aside from the fun rhyming and the interesting pictures, I couldn't get behind this one. The teacher REALLY bugged me. I wish it had been a classmate giving him a hard time. I know those teachers exist, but her strict adherence to the rules accomplished nothing since she changed her mind. AND, when she did, she didn't apologize.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story about creating stories from pictures in your mind.