George wanted to play soccer.
But he didn't have a soccer ball to kick.
All he had was a big ball of string.
George decided he could use his big ball of string for a game of soccer.

So begins this delightful story of a little boy with a big imagination. Sent to play outside, George takes his ball of string to the park, where he kicks it and kicks it round and round. George doesn't notice what the reader does - that the string is unravelling - until, having kicked the ball all the way home, he suddenly realises it is gone. Spying a piece of string, he starts to wind it and wind it - all the way back to the park, where he suddenly realises that the ball of string is in his hand.

This cute story will tickle young imaginations as they watch the ball of string unravel wherever George goes and see his astonishment when it reappears. They will love the illustrations of Craig Smith - from endpapers with squiggles of green string to the curious birds who watch George's comings and goings, and, of course, George himself with delightfully baggy short-alls and a grin that shows his simple joy.

This is a delightful read aloud title - the repetition and rhythm make it both easy and fun to read and encourages children to join in.

Gorgeous.

The Big Ball of String, by Ross Mueller and Craig Smith
Allen & Unwin, 2004

Also Illustrated by Craig SMith

Just You Wait, by Megan de Kantzow