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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2025
Such a sweet book, very inspirational for children. In this world, it's so easy to take but this book shows the beauty of giving to others and what happens when someone tries to take away your gift. The illustrations are beautiful and not over-stimulating. Very calm, nice book.
maecurran
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2025
This is such a clever story. I read it to 6 of my classes at school and everyone absolutely loved it. One class begged me to make them all sweaters as well as sweaters for their siblings. So very cute.
Laura Russ
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024
I bought 5 new books at the same time for my daughter. We read them all and to my surprise, this was her favorite. I like to tell her how colorful she makes our world when reading it.
Marcy
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
The art is so creative. It starts off black and white to mimic the dull town the girl grows up in, and then slowly fills with color as this little girl gifts knit items to her community. There are positive messages throughout--kindness, positivity, community. I give 5 stars for the art and the concept. That said (and people will come for me for saying it), it's a bit boring. Probably suited for ages 5-10.
Jeff
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2024
One of my favorite children’s books. Lovely illustrations, and a charming story.
ハバネロ
Reviewed in Japan on April 3, 2022
とても愛らしくて、愛おしい絵本です。
Michèle E
Reviewed in France on March 27, 2021
Belle histoire et belles illustations;en résumé album original, agréable à lire.
Retail Therapy Online
Reviewed in Australia on October 8, 2020
Excellent story, quite different but appealing. The artwork was excellent too. Kept the Grandchildren’s attention and we all liked the ending.
Helen
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2016
This book is truly a masterpiece. My daughters love it and so do I but probably for different reasons. They enjoy the sweet, funny story of the girl who knits sweaters for everyone and everything in her little town and then triumphs against a mean archduke with a long mustache in the end. Good stuff.I love the book too because it has so many layers; it is easy for adults to appreciate the yarn as a metaphor for happiness. Klassen's powerful illustrations show us a dark, snow-covered landscape at the start of the book. Then Annabelle finds the box of yarn amidst this dreary backdrop and sets about knitting sweaters for everyone. We see her kindness and joy transform the bully, Nate, and his dog and her grumpy teacher, Mr. Norman, and the rowdy class. We see the people she knits sweaters for attached to each other by strands of yarn. People look happier and connected. The landscape brightens. Then the archduke enters and tries to buy her happiness and then tries to steal it but of course that does not work. Then he tries to curse her so she will suffer from the same lack of happiness that plagues him and his family but of course that does not prevent her happiness from finding her again. I love that message and I love this book.
Shalini
Reviewed in India on January 25, 2016
Lovely book with beautiful illustrations! My kids love it as part of their bedtime stories.
MJ
Reviewed in Canada on June 5, 2014
If I was a children's storyteller, I'd want Jon Klassen to illustrate my book too. :-)This book is quite special, I think. There's good pitted against evil, a very special message, quirky sweet humour and quite visual with beautiful illustrations. It's subtly intelligent/funny. I quite like this book. And oh yeah, so does my 3.5 year old son! He was re-telling the story to my husband at breakfast the other day!
Danna G. Coffey
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2012
Let me just say up front that I am a knitter with so much extra yarn I could furnish a small shop. I can't resist pretty yarn and just the title of this book intrigued me, as a knitter and as a preschool teacher. Without ever even seeing the book in it's entirety, I was already planning activities to use some of my yarn in the classroom along with this story. For example, drawing letters or numbers in glue and letting the children cut pieces of yarn to make the shape of the letter or number or making my own and letting the children do crayon rubbings, seriating pieces of yarn by length or sorting by texture or color, weaving yarn through fruit baskets, colanders, etc. Creating a large web by placing sticks in a pyramid and letting the children weave various yarns through and around them. Finger knitting. For science, a lesson about making yarn from a sheep's wool. Using nursery rhymes such as Baa Baa Black Sheep. This list could go on and on. I did find another cute book to go along with this theme, Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep : a Yarn about Wool by Teri Sloat. . So...my book finally arrived and it is better than I imagined. The drawings start in black and white representing a rather cold and dismal place and are then "knitted" into color. It is about a little girl who finds a box of yarn, knits herself a sweater,and then knits sweaters for everyone and everything in her community. It is a book about imagination, kindness and sharing, a little magic and intrigue, pretty much everything you want in a children's book! You could now include some contemporary social studies by showing the children pictures of yarm bombing and discussing whether it is beautiful or vandalism. Yes, even 4 year olds have opinions about social issues. I have not yet had the opportunity to use this story with my preschoolers, but I am hoping my enthusiasm rubs off on them!
K. Huntermoon
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2012
As a feminist Waldorf homeschooling mother, I love this book. Here is the rare combination of strong female character, gentle dreamy story-line, and KNITTING.Throughout the story, male characters tell Annabelle that 1. she looks ridiculous, 2. she is incapable of doing what she wants to do, and 3. that she will never be happy again. I love the light-hearted way Annabelle responds with utter confidence to these pronouncements. She never waivers from her own inner knowing. And all the time she keeps knitting.The feminism is light and easy to miss, as you might guess from other reviewers not even mentioning it. That's a good thing. We don't want to indoctrinate our children with heavy-handed messages; we want to raise them surrounded in goodness and love, with values dreamily and consistently communicated. This book is excellent for that.In response to those who think the ending is contrived and unsatisfying: It seems like a perfect ending to me. My seven-year-old says she loved the ending -- in fact, she loved everything about this book. The message is that Annabelle cannot be stopped, regardless of the distresses of others and how they project them onto her. Not only does she have her inner knowing, but something bigger than her, something mysterious, is also looking out for her well-being. In our house we call that "the Goddess." Most of you probably call it "God." The book doesn't call it anything; we just see the magic box mysteriously returning to Annabelle, full of yarn as always. I love it.
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