Twig
A straight line is one firm, steady stroke
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Twig is a stick insect, long and thin and perfectly straight — so straight that Twig looks just like a little line standing up. When Twig wants to show a straight stroke, Twig simply lies down: top to bottom, one firm line, no wiggles. "That," says Twig proudly, "is a straight line. Down you go, all in one."
Twig's friend Pil the caterpillar is trying to make a letter "l." But Pil's line comes out all wiggly-waggly, like a wave. Pil tries again — still wobbly. "Mine always squiggles," Pil sighs, curling up small. "It won't stay straight."
"That's because you're going slow and shivery," says Twig kindly. "A straight line likes one firm push. Look at me — I don't wobble, I just go, straight down. Pick your top spot. Pick your bottom spot. Now zip between them in one steady move. Don't stop in the middle to think — just go."
Pil takes a breath. Top spot... bottom spot... and — zip — one firm line straight down. Pil stares. It's straight! Really, truly straight! "I did it in one go!" Pil makes a "t" next — straight down, then one line across — and it stands up tall and proud on the leaf.
Pil makes a whole little row of straight lines, standing side by side like a tiny fence. Each one steady, each one strong. A sure, solid feeling fills Pil right up, the feeling of something that stands firm and doesn't wobble. Twig stretches out beside the row, one more straight line in the sunshine, and the two of them admire the tidy little fence they made together.
The LetterLoops ensemble
Twig is part of LetterLoops's distributed-narrative cast. Each character embodies a different curricular primitive; together they teach the full subject.
