Extra Yarn. written by Mac Barnett. illustrated by Jon Klassen. 2012. 40p. New York: Balzer and Bray.
Author Website: www.macbarnett.com
Medium: watercolors, digitally manipulated
Awards and Honors: none
Audience:4 and up
Annotation:
A young girl finds a magical box of endless yarn which is subsequently stolen by an evil archduke.
Personal Reaction:
Annabelle lives in a dreary little town where everything is cold and gray. The trees, the houses, the animals, and even the people all exist in shades of black and white. But when Annabelle finds a box filled with rainbow colored yarn, that all begins to change. She knits a sweater for herself and one for her dog, but there is still extra yarn. So she knits a sweater for Nate and his dog. And one for her classmates and her teacher. And another for her mom and dad. And ones for all the animals in town. But there is still extra yarn. So Annabelle decides to knit sweaters for all the houses, and the mailboxes, and the cars. And yet her yarn never runs out.
With all of those rainbow colored sweaters her monochromatic town begins to change, attracting people from near and far. One person who comes has nefarious intentions. An evil archduke steals the magical box of yarn, yet when he sits down to open it, he finds it completely empty. Angrily he tosses it into the sea... where it is reunited with its rightful owner.
The story is great- quirky, whimsical, with the feel of a modern fairytale- but its Jon Klassen's illustrations that make it shine. His buildings and people and animals are completely charming, even when they're dreary and gray. And when they appear clad in rainbow sweaters, it's magic. Klassen's chunky, colorful sweaters are cheerful, but not brash. Fans of I Want My Hat Back will be happy to note that the churlish Bear makes an appearance in this book.
Annabelle lives in a dreary little town where everything is cold and gray. The trees, the houses, the animals, and even the people all exist in shades of black and white. But when Annabelle finds a box filled with rainbow colored yarn, that all begins to change. She knits a sweater for herself and one for her dog, but there is still extra yarn. So she knits a sweater for Nate and his dog. And one for her classmates and her teacher. And another for her mom and dad. And ones for all the animals in town. But there is still extra yarn. So Annabelle decides to knit sweaters for all the houses, and the mailboxes, and the cars. And yet her yarn never runs out.
With all of those rainbow colored sweaters her monochromatic town begins to change, attracting people from near and far. One person who comes has nefarious intentions. An evil archduke steals the magical box of yarn, yet when he sits down to open it, he finds it completely empty. Angrily he tosses it into the sea... where it is reunited with its rightful owner.
The story is great- quirky, whimsical, with the feel of a modern fairytale- but its Jon Klassen's illustrations that make it shine. His buildings and people and animals are completely charming, even when they're dreary and gray. And when they appear clad in rainbow sweaters, it's magic. Klassen's chunky, colorful sweaters are cheerful, but not brash. Fans of I Want My Hat Back will be happy to note that the churlish Bear makes an appearance in this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment