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Pockets
The somber, hard-working people of an isolated town on the plains ply through life in the drabbest of gray clothes--until, in the linings of their pockets, they begin to discover lavishly embroidered pictures of far-away places, sewn there by a mysterious young woman who has recently arrived and taken up work as the town's seamstress. Exploring these stitched visions--of proud ships and sparkling oceans, of golden towers and distant cities, of buccaneers, sea serpents, and gold--the austere townspeople find themselves transformed. A husband and wife suddenly fall in love again, brightly colored flags appear on rooftops, houses are painted in azure and crimson, dances are held...
Pockets is Jennifer Armstrong's tale of people made new by their imaginations, and of the mysterious young seamstress who brings this about. Her luxurious storytelling is equaled by the rich palette and exuberance of Mary GrandPré's illustrations.
Pockets is Jennifer Armstrong's tale of people made new by their imaginations, and of the mysterious young seamstress who brings this about. Her luxurious storytelling is equaled by the rich palette and exuberance of Mary GrandPré's illustrations.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 1998
2 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Armstrong
93 books71 followersJennifer Armstrong learned to read and write in Switzerland, in a small school for English speaking children on the shores of Lake Zurich. The school library had no librarian and no catalog – just shelves of interesting books. She selected books on her own, read what she could, and made up the rest. It was perfect. As a result, she made her career choice – to become an author – in first grade. When she and her family returned to the U.S. she discovered that not all children wrote stories and read books, and that not all teachers thought reading real books was important. Nevertheless, she was undaunted. Within a year of leaving college she was a free-lance ghost writer for a popular juvenile book series, and before long published her first trade novel, Steal Away, which won her a Golden Kite Honor for fiction.
More than fifty additional novels and picture books followed, and before long she also tried her hand at nonfiction, winning an Orbis Pictus Award and a Horn Book Honor for her first nonfiction book, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. In late 2003 she will travel to the South Pole with the National Science Foundation to do research for a book on ice.
More than fifty additional novels and picture books followed, and before long she also tried her hand at nonfiction, winning an Orbis Pictus Award and a Horn Book Honor for her first nonfiction book, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. In late 2003 she will travel to the South Pole with the National Science Foundation to do research for a book on ice.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 5, 2016
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!! Beautiful language, beautiful illustrations. We fell in love. And discovered lots of nautical and sewing terms we were clueless about.
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May 17, 2010I didn’t care for the text of this book very much, but thought the illustrations were truly superb. The idea and message behind the story were enjoyable, but the nautical metaphors were heavy-handed and the text was lengthy and dense. A lost seamstress washes up in a lonely, dull village. She agrees to make only plain clothing for the villagers in return for charity, but she can’t suppress her creativity and imagination for long. Her outlet is the pockets she puts in each garment, heavily embroidered and decorated. These pockets become windows to the world for the villagers.
The illustrations by Mary GrandPre lightened up the heavy story. As with Sweep Dreams, the pictures have clear, bold shapes that are round and rich. For this story, she uses line to create the illusion of embroidery. The color is bold here, too; rich jewel tones throughout the illustrations get brighter as the villagers lose their dull thoughts and broaden their horizons. GrandPre’s use of value adds a depth to her illustrations, as certain parts of each picture pop out of darkness. The illustrations fill the pages and flow effortlessly around the text blocks: this book is more successful than Sweep Dreams in layering the text over the illustrations. GrandPre continues to use perspective well, zooming in on the changing faces of the villagers, zooming out to show the village as a whole, and just in general creates beautiful artwork to tell this story. It’s a shame the words don’t match the illustrations.
The illustrations by Mary GrandPre lightened up the heavy story. As with Sweep Dreams, the pictures have clear, bold shapes that are round and rich. For this story, she uses line to create the illusion of embroidery. The color is bold here, too; rich jewel tones throughout the illustrations get brighter as the villagers lose their dull thoughts and broaden their horizons. GrandPre’s use of value adds a depth to her illustrations, as certain parts of each picture pop out of darkness. The illustrations fill the pages and flow effortlessly around the text blocks: this book is more successful than Sweep Dreams in layering the text over the illustrations. GrandPre continues to use perspective well, zooming in on the changing faces of the villagers, zooming out to show the village as a whole, and just in general creates beautiful artwork to tell this story. It’s a shame the words don’t match the illustrations.
March 4, 2018
Beautifully written book about an enchanting seamstress, this picture book's diction is appropriate for readers that have a master's degree.
April 20, 2019
A delightful story but not really a kids’ book! Beautiful illustrations from Mary GrandPré and a very sweet tale.
April 6, 2018
Beautiful words and pictures. Readalikes: The Secret-Keeper and The Quiltmaker's Gift.
February 27, 2017
From the opening lines (“A slim schooner of a woman, driven by strong winds and a broken heart, floundered barefoot across the eastern plains until arriving at the edge of a village”), the reader is drawn into a curiously juxtaposed world in which nautical terms are used to describe a prairie setting. It is a juxtaposition that works, thanks to the combination of Armstrong’s lyrical text and GrandPré’s dreamy illustrations. The sea and sewing provide a metaphor for imagination, richly developed in Armstrong’s choice of words. Adjectives and nouns give the text a maritime flavor, but it is the use of nautical verbs at every opportunity (“The plains around them swallowed color and drowned it, and the village itself drifted sadly, a sunless island”) that truly brings the metaphor to life. GrandPré’s illustrations portray equally well the drab life of the prairie folks and their subsequent transformation through the stories unfolding inside their pockets, a transformation made magical by GrandPré’s swirling colors and shining visions. Pockets is a beautiful addition to any collection, sure to inspire hope and dreams.
September 27, 2018
I was surprised at this one. I don't think the theme went over my head, but I don't really understand what other readers see in this. She's an outsider who provides a drab community a way to look beyond the life in front of their nose, and to see the radiance of color that can be found in a life of continuous labor, with heads stooped low to the earth. If that's the main idea, I get it. If not, I'm open to comments.
The execution of this idea is what baffles me. I can't imagine a child sitting next to me asking to read this again. Perhaps I'm not eloquent enough to pronounce the writing correctly. Is this story actually aimed at a young audience?
Our woman character from the Outside, our hero of the story who either can't or won't tell of where/what she came from. Would children latch onto this? Oh well. Her heart was hopelessly broken at the beginning for some reason (do we know why?). Then she helps the town and [SPOILERS] she goes back home, her "heart now complete again". Huh? I guess it's like "Pleasantville" and everyone just needs to see color and that life is more than doing work and eating.
I guess it's a children's book, so I shouldn't read too much into it. I just don't see the kids taking this one off the shelves asking for a repeat reading. Oh, and the pictures are pretty.
The execution of this idea is what baffles me. I can't imagine a child sitting next to me asking to read this again. Perhaps I'm not eloquent enough to pronounce the writing correctly. Is this story actually aimed at a young audience?
Our woman character from the Outside, our hero of the story who either can't or won't tell of where/what she came from. Would children latch onto this? Oh well. Her heart was hopelessly broken at the beginning for some reason (do we know why?). Then she helps the town and [SPOILERS] she goes back home, her "heart now complete again". Huh? I guess it's like "Pleasantville" and everyone just needs to see color and that life is more than doing work and eating.
I guess it's a children's book, so I shouldn't read too much into it. I just don't see the kids taking this one off the shelves asking for a repeat reading. Oh, and the pictures are pretty.
June 14, 2023
Can you give a book 10 stars? I would give this story just that. Illustrating and text are woven together into a take that reminds readers to create and to savor joy.
This book reminds me of The Quiltmaker's Gift.
Our generosity and kindness to one another can be a simple act with profound encouragement in the lives of those around us.
This book reminds me of The Quiltmaker's Gift.
Our generosity and kindness to one another can be a simple act with profound encouragement in the lives of those around us.
November 25, 2018
This is a wonderful book. The story is very satisfying. The illustrations are early Mary GrandPre (of Harry Potter cover fame) and they are so beyond incredible and beautiful that it's stupefying. I love this book. It's a treasure.
August 16, 2020
I would have liked more details on the woman's previous life, but I guess it was supposed to be vague. There also were so many terms I wasn't familiar with and felt the need to look up, which severely slowed down my reading pace.
May 24, 2019
Beautiful picture. Interesting story, a little difficult to understand because the language is very technical.
February 2, 2021
Not my fav. Weird little fairy tale about thread magic. And pockets haha
December 16, 2024
Fantastic illustrations meet the donegality of seafaring in this children's picture book about the transforming power of sharing beauty through arts.
February 17, 2013
Pockets is the story of a seamstress who finds herself blown up on the fringes of a village, much like a ship blown upon a shore. The people of the village ask her to create drab, sturdy gray clothing for them, and she does for a while, but she has an urge to create beautiful things, and so she begins to embroider wonderous things inside the pockets of her own clothing, and then inside the pockets of the clothing she makes for the villagers. What happens then is purely magical.
There is a lot of ship, sea, and traveling imagery in this book, both in the pictures and the words. The paintings are stunningly beautiful, and they evoke a sense of wonder and imagination. They're also painted with strokes like stitches, so they evoke the embroidery the story talks about as well. This was a gorgeous book, and I'm super excited about finding it.
There is a lot of ship, sea, and traveling imagery in this book, both in the pictures and the words. The paintings are stunningly beautiful, and they evoke a sense of wonder and imagination. They're also painted with strokes like stitches, so they evoke the embroidery the story talks about as well. This was a gorgeous book, and I'm super excited about finding it.
June 13, 2007
A mysterious woman in fancy dress is taken in by a town that insists everything be dull: "the plains around them swallowed color and drowned it." She makes her living by the only thing she knows: mending and sewing clothes. After a time, she turns her own pockets inside out, and lets her fingers fly- embroidering pictures of hidden worlds and imagination that she can enjoy in secret. But she can't stop at just her own pockets....
A special story, enhanced by the glowing illustrative style of Marie GrandPre.
A special story, enhanced by the glowing illustrative style of Marie GrandPre.
September 28, 2011
More of Jennifer Armstrong's lovely writing. This is writing requiring visualization of the art and settings she creates -- a little bit different and asking a little bit more from young readers. Beautiful ideas, a lot about transformation. Very enjoyable and not less so with the perfect illustrations of Mary GrandPre.
June 15, 2009
This book has the most amazing illustrations! It is one of my favorite children's books, although I think it's a bit wordy and that the message is probably over most kids' heads. The story explores finding beauty in unexpected places and joy in simple everyday things.
January 12, 2010
"A slim schooner of a woman, driven by strong winds and a broken heart...." This book is inspiring as much as it is poetic. It is amazing what you can do with a pocket full of wonder. One person can change a village one pocket at a time. I really connected with this one.
November 26, 2008
An inspirational story about bring a bit of beauty anywhere. Armstrong uses a lot of tough terminology. I found myself skipping a lot of her descriptions so I didn't lose the kids' interest. Beautiful pictures and a great moral.
March 21, 2009
Fabulous illustrations and an interesting story made up for a difficult narrative that introduced many words our girls (or even I) had never heard before. It was an engaging and somewhat melancholy story that was brought to life by the vivid pictures.
June 23, 2012
I liked the premise of the story, just that there are a lot of words that would need explaining to 3 and 4 year olds so I don't think that it would be the best bedtime story for that age range. Although I do have to say that the interesting pictures and vivid colors would be enough to go on.
January 21, 2015
The story is long and complex, but beautiful - it's packed with vocabulary words that even adults will be challenged by. The illustrations by Mary GrandPré are dynamic and rich. An interesting book for readers who like a lot of color and fantasy.
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February 4, 2016A mysterious woman shows up in a drab, hard-working town and is hired to be the tailor. To make up for the drabness of the town, she embroiders elaborate scenes inside people’s pockets, opening their eyes to possibilities beyond their own dull existences.
June 30, 2007
A seamstress in a new town in forced to make plain clothes. After a while she starts embroidering the inside of pockets to bring a little beauty into her life. Soon the townspeople begin to change.
August 6, 2007
The illustrations alone are reason enough to take a look at this picture book! I think the story is beautiful and certainly one that cheers me up when things in life get me bogged down.
February 13, 2008
Beautiful story told primarily through the illustrations, done by Mary GrandPres, the illustrator for the American Harry Potter books.
August 9, 2008
Illustrations were amazing - story was too wordy for a childrens book.
December 17, 2008
exquisite!
December 9, 2014
Love the story and the illustrations!
August 14, 2013
The illustrations give this book a magical feel, while the text reminds us that one person can make a difference.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews