Few words are necessary in Chris Monroe’s mostly wordless picture book, STRING BALL. The book is a rollicking ride, following the adventures of a curious cat who winds up stuck inside a large string ball. The rolling, bouncing red ball contrasts against the mostly black and white illustrations, which clearly communicate how the cat is feeling with every twist and turn before it is returned safely home to its none the wiser owner. A fun and clever story that is sure to inspire creative thinking and language development in young readers as they engage with the book. As a bonus, the book includes step by step directions for making a string ball.

This book was fun. I enjoyed the artwork and how the story was told through imagery. It's cute and lots of fun.

The book is good for preschool and below. Similar in style to other books at this level. It is a very quick read.

This was a very short story. It was very fun and entertaining that it was fine even without words. The illustrations were adorable! I think they will definitely catch children’s eyes.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

Very cute. Only a few of the pages have text, otherwise it’s just illustration following a few characters and a yarn ball. Perfect for kids to open up conversation with little about what they see happening.

This was a very short story. It was very fun and entertaining that it was fine even without words. The illustrations were adorable! I think they will definitely catch children’s eyes.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

It is not a routine ball of yarn, but the kind of thing purposefully made of string wrapped around a balloon covered in wet glue. Instructions at the beginning. The story itself is wordless.
A curious kitten starts on a journey after finding a way inside and rolling about everywhere. Fun!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected eGalley on NetGalley Reader from Lerner Publishing Group | Carolrhoda Books ® via NetGalley. Pub Date May 06, 2025
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"String Ball" is the humorous and easy-to-follow story of a curious kitten's adventures across town in its child's ball. Immediately, the story is believable; a crafty child is nothing new, and a kitten who gets into everything is a tale as old as time. Because there are no words in the book, readers of any age and ability can understand and follow the kitten's adventures as it bounces, rolls, gets wet, and even flies. The cat's surprise and emotions are evident within the detailed illustrations that make up the story. "String Ball" was a joy to read, using little energy with reading but plenty of energy directed elsewhere with laughter and smiles.

Thanks to NetGalley, Carolrhoda Books, and Chris Monroe for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

A young girl uses red yarn, a balloon and some glue to make a string ball. While it dries she goes outside to play, leaving a tiny kitten behind. The curious kitten explores the ball, digging her way inside. Then the adventure begins!

This wordless book has black-and-white line drawings with pops of red. Detailed but not busy looking, they really pull the reader into the story. It's especially fun to see the kittens'expressions as she bounces around inside the ball - and some great conversations will evolve talking about what she's feeling as the story develops.

Wordless books should be part of every classroom, library or home with young children, as they're a low-stress way to enjoy stories and books. They promote imagination and language development, and the best of them are so fun kids will pick them up again and again. Just as everyone seems to enjoy relaxing with cat videos these days, children and adults will have a blast returning again and again to this delightful book.

Thanks to Lerner publishing and the author for a copy of this book to review.

This story was adorable and humorous. If I saw this on a bookshelf, I would definitely purchase this for a friend with a young child. This story is about a cat that unexpectedly goes on an outdoor adventure, while inside a string ball. The entire story is communicated through cute illustrations and without any text.

Thank you NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the ARC of String Ball.

Will post a review to GoodReads, StoryGraph, and Barnes and Noble on May 6, 2025

String Ball by Chris Monroe is a whimsical story told with creative illustrations. This book has no words and it doesn't need any. You will find this book to be a wonderful tool for young scholars. It will bring creativity and story telling to life as you enjoy the book. One extra great feature is that this book includes directions on how to make your own string ball. String Ball would make a fantastic gift. I'm grateful that I was able to read an advance copy on NetGalley.

Books like this are so fun, when it's just pictures creating the story. I really like the style of artwork, and the pops of red for the string ball. I couldn't help but chuckle at this little frantic kitten being stuck inside this ball while being tossed all around. The last page where the little girl finds the ball in her backpack and is confused while the little kitten sleeps peacefully is so indicative of being a cat owner every day!

This book is darling! I love the black and white illustrations with the red string ball as the emphasis. I think children will love making up stories about the cat's adventure. I really enjoyed the tiny details and the humorous parts. I think this book offers opportunities for language building and using imagination. This is a great addition to any child's library!

Thank you Chris Monroe and Lerner Publishing Group-Carolrhoda Books for for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book! This review was written voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

This one is very fun! I'm adding it to my list of adventure storytime books. The kids will love the dual perspective of what is happening inside the ball vs outside the ball. It could also lead to a fun craft for families to do together!

My 2.5 year old LOVED this. The illustrations were super cute and because there weren’t really words it was a great learning opportunity to ask her questions about what happened on each page!

Let your imagination run WILD in this cute, adventurous and hilarious wordless picture book by writer and artist Chris Monroe!

The illustrations are exciting and fun and take you on this adventure when a cat gets stuck inside a (big) string ball and how it ends up coming back home, safe but not-so-sound.

Many of the expressions in the illustrations made me laugh out loud and the bizarre things the cat experiences!

This book will be a joy to read with your child and to come up with a new story of what the cat must be thinking, every time you read it!

One of my favourite picture books of this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ 5/5
My 4 year old daughter LOVES this book! What a unique, silly story of a girl who creates a fun string ball and whose kitten finds itself on a wild adventure after it gets a little to curious. The book is wordless which gives us the endless opportunity of using our imagination to create the narrative for the story. My daughter has a blast being creative and telling her own version of the story along with the illustrations. I also enjoy the instructions on how to create the string ball! The black and white illustrations with pop of red was so fun and captivating.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an electronic copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A cat sneaks into his girl's string ball so he can be part of her outdoor adventures. He ends up having a series of adventures of his own. She has no idea, except that her string ball ends up in her backpack, instead of on her desk where she left it.

I like that this is a wordless book. I also like that it's black and white except for the red ball.

It's silly, and my 5yo laughed as I made sound effects or talked about what the different characters were thinking.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Netgalley ARC - This is so fun! The expressive animated body movements are adorable. The wordlessness works well and I love that everyone gets home safe.

This is a beautifully illustrated story with no words. This would be a good book for a child to read on his or her own. I think for children who are used to having books read to them, this would be a difficult addition to story time.