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Extra Yarn
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Picture Books (2012)From the award-winning team behind Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, and illustrated by Jon Klassen, the Kate Greenaway-winning creator of This Is Not My Hat and I Want My Hat Back, this is the story of little Annabelle, who discovers a box of brightly coloured yarn on a cold, dark day in a dull, grey town. So she knits a cosy jumper to keep herself nice and toasty warm and finds, to her surprise, that she still has yarn left over. So she decides to knit her dog a jumper too but – hang on a second – she STILL has extra yarn! Annabelle knits and knits and, soon, she's blanketed the entire town in a rainbow of colour, knitting away the dreary iciness that grips it. Her prodigious status spreads far and wide. It doesn't take long for the evil Archduke to set his beady eyes upon Annabelle's magical box of yarn but, little does he know, you have to have a little bit of magic inside your heart for it to work...Please ask if you need a specific version. The data provided here may not be correct. With buying and not asking you are accepting the book as is.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2012
38 people are currently reading
10784 people want to read
About the author
Mac Barnett
93 books1,349 followersBorn to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,980 reviews
April 10, 2019
A sweet story about a generous girl who has a magical box full of endless yarn. She knits for her whooooole town! There's an unnecessary bad guy who nevertheless raises some good questions about how the magic yarn box works, but he's comical enough (an archduke!) that he isn't too scary and doesn't get in the way.
The art is lovely, with colorful yarn offsetting and enlivening a very gray world.
The art is lovely, with colorful yarn offsetting and enlivening a very gray world.
June 12, 2016
Barnett presents a delightful tale yarn about the exploits of a young yarn-bomber.
(Psst- Jon Klassen's illustrations steal the show.)
Even more amazing to me than her never-ending supply of worsted is Annabelle's apparent speed-knitting ability.
Just look at all those yarn-covered structures!
And to think I still haven't finished the sweater I started back in 1986!
(Psst- Jon Klassen's illustrations steal the show.)
Even more amazing to me than her never-ending supply of worsted is Annabelle's apparent speed-knitting ability.
Just look at all those yarn-covered structures!
And to think I still haven't finished the sweater I started back in 1986!
June 30, 2019
Annabelle finds a magic yarn box that never runs out of yarn. She lives in a drab little town where everyone is drab looking. She makes herself a sweater and it isn’t long before she makes a sweater for everyone. She still has plenty of yarn. Word gets out and people come wanting to see these wonders, even pirates who want to get the magic box. It’s a good ending.
I waffled between 3 and 4 stars. It’s an original story and I like that so I upped it to 4 stars. It’s original, but it is also similar to the fable of the couple that find the never ending penny, but that ruins their lives where this doesn’t ruin Annabelle’s life. The artwork did a great job of contrasting the drab life verses the colorful life with yarn and the artwork puts a lot of work into making the drawing look like yarn.
The niece was lukewarm on this story. She didn’t think the yarn was all that pretty and she figured out the end. She gave this 2 stars. The nephew liked the silly pirate at the end. He gave this 3 stars.
I waffled between 3 and 4 stars. It’s an original story and I like that so I upped it to 4 stars. It’s original, but it is also similar to the fable of the couple that find the never ending penny, but that ruins their lives where this doesn’t ruin Annabelle’s life. The artwork did a great job of contrasting the drab life verses the colorful life with yarn and the artwork puts a lot of work into making the drawing look like yarn.
The niece was lukewarm on this story. She didn’t think the yarn was all that pretty and she figured out the end. She gave this 2 stars. The nephew liked the silly pirate at the end. He gave this 3 stars.
August 8, 2024
واقعا بعضیا بلدن چجوری زندگی رو قشنگ و رنگی کنن، هم زندگی خودشون رو و هم زندگی بقیه رو. خلاقانه و سخاوتمندانه به زندگی رنگ و شادی میپاشن . آرزو میکنم شما هم یک آدم اینجوری توی زندگی تون باشه یا اگه نه، خودتون اون آدم باشید.
..
این کتاب #کودک بینهایت جذاب، یک داستان کلاسیک داره از سخاوت و عشق، با یک پایان خوش والت دیزنی طور. اما از داستان قشنگتر، تصاویر کتابه .
و پیام داستان اینه که: عشق یه جادوعه، هرچی بیشتر به دیگران بدی، بیشتر میشه
پیام دوم: کون لق هرکی نمیتونه خوشحالی مارو ببینه .
..
این کتاب #کودک بینهایت جذاب، یک داستان کلاسیک داره از سخاوت و عشق، با یک پایان خوش والت دیزنی طور. اما از داستان قشنگتر، تصاویر کتابه .
و پیام داستان اینه که: عشق یه جادوعه، هرچی بیشتر به دیگران بدی، بیشتر میشه
پیام دوم: کون لق هرکی نمیتونه خوشحالی مارو ببینه .
December 27, 2021
One snowy cold day, Annabelle discovered a box full of colorful yarn. She knitted herself and her dog sweaters. The magic box yielded more yarn and she kept knitting for her classmates, her parents, and the community for people, animals, and buildings. Her generous spirit dressed the world. A cute and colorful yarn of giving.
October 10, 2011
I love everything about this book. Everything.
Annabelle lives in a cold, colorless town where everything is covered with snow and soot. One day, she comes upon a box of colorful yarn, and knits herself a sweater. When she's finished, she knits one for her dog. When she's finished with that, she still has extra yarn. In fact, Annabelle's colorful yarn seems to be never-ending, and she knits and knits and knits until her town and all the people in it are adorned with Annabelle's colorful creations. Then one day, a rich and powerful archduke offers Annabelle one million, two million... ten million dollars for her box of yarn. When she declines his offer, he takes matters into his own hands and hires robbers to get the box for him. But once he's got it, things don't go quite as he'd hoped. What will he do? How will Annabelle fare without her box? You have to go get the book for yourself to discover the sweet ending.
Absolutely charming tale, fabulous illustrations by Jon Klassen... this book has the makings and the feel of a modern classic. The f&g will suffice in our house for now, but this is one we will absolutely be purchasing in hardcover for our collection.
Annabelle lives in a cold, colorless town where everything is covered with snow and soot. One day, she comes upon a box of colorful yarn, and knits herself a sweater. When she's finished, she knits one for her dog. When she's finished with that, she still has extra yarn. In fact, Annabelle's colorful yarn seems to be never-ending, and she knits and knits and knits until her town and all the people in it are adorned with Annabelle's colorful creations. Then one day, a rich and powerful archduke offers Annabelle one million, two million... ten million dollars for her box of yarn. When she declines his offer, he takes matters into his own hands and hires robbers to get the box for him. But once he's got it, things don't go quite as he'd hoped. What will he do? How will Annabelle fare without her box? You have to go get the book for yourself to discover the sweet ending.
Absolutely charming tale, fabulous illustrations by Jon Klassen... this book has the makings and the feel of a modern classic. The f&g will suffice in our house for now, but this is one we will absolutely be purchasing in hardcover for our collection.
December 5, 2012
I chuckled, I smiled, and I was touched. I wasn’t that fond of the last few pages. I think the story was going along fine as it was, but overall I still really enjoyed the book.
The story was fun. It’s a sweet and very amusing story. I loved Annabelle and her dog Mars. Mars caught my attention right away. I love Annabelle’s expression of independence and her self-assuredness, and her generosity. I love the wackiness that’s present throughout the story.
I loved, loved, loved the artwork for this book. It fit perfectly with the story, and the added color was so appealing.
I love the idea of a magic yarn box. I think this book will be really popular with children. Children who knit might get some very unusual ideas, and the book might inspire children to learn to knit.
The story was fun. It’s a sweet and very amusing story. I loved Annabelle and her dog Mars. Mars caught my attention right away. I love Annabelle’s expression of independence and her self-assuredness, and her generosity. I love the wackiness that’s present throughout the story.
I loved, loved, loved the artwork for this book. It fit perfectly with the story, and the added color was so appealing.
I love the idea of a magic yarn box. I think this book will be really popular with children. Children who knit might get some very unusual ideas, and the book might inspire children to learn to knit.
December 27, 2025
An instant new all time favorite picture book!
The writing, the compositions, the color palette (and how it enhances the story)… everything about this book was brilliant!
The writing, the compositions, the color palette (and how it enhances the story)… everything about this book was brilliant!
November 18, 2012
This book is adorable. Also, this book is clearly part of a conspiracy to make knitters make tons of stuff for other people who don't knit. It is known.
May 31, 2023
Mac Barnett's Extra Yarn is in many ways a perfect story to share with children on a cold, blustery and sombre winter's day, showing simply, gracefully and with subdued emotionality that while Annabelle's lack of selfishness (how she knits not only for herself but for everyone and everything) always means she has extra yarn, as soon as the greedy archduke (after not being able to entice Annabelle to sell him her box of yarn) steals said box, the erstwhile always filled container becomes permanently and lastingly empty (for like in oh so many folk and fairy tales, the magic yarn would of course only keep being permanently present and producing for someone like Annabelle, who makes use of it for humanitarian purposes, for sharing the colour and the warmth of her knitting).
And truly, the archduke not only gets his more than very well deserved and just proverbial desserts, even his angrily declaimed curse (after he finds that the box is indeed empty and staying that way) gloriously and totally backfires, as the stolen box magically makes its way back to Annabelle, is also and naturally again filled with magical never ending yarn, and she is, indeed, very much happy (as is everyone and everything who has benefitted from Annabelle's knitting passion and generosity, except, needless to say, the greedy archduke who only desired the box of yarn for himself).
Now I have generally not always been that much a fan of Jon Klassen's artwork and illustrative style, but with regard to his accompanying pictures for Mac Barnett's narrative in Extra Yarn, I have indeed been very much pleasantly surprised and charmed (at how the black, white and brown colours of Annabelle's cold and dreary little town are made more beautiful and warmer with and by her colourful knitting patterns, but also how the colourful knitting threads do not ever erase the browns, whites and blacks of the townscape but rather embrace them to form a charming and warming combination of all colours, well, at least in Annabelle's town, for the exact opposite is of course and fortunately true with regard to the the archduke and his castle, as both his domicile and he and his attire always remain sombre, dark and depressing).
And truly, the archduke not only gets his more than very well deserved and just proverbial desserts, even his angrily declaimed curse (after he finds that the box is indeed empty and staying that way) gloriously and totally backfires, as the stolen box magically makes its way back to Annabelle, is also and naturally again filled with magical never ending yarn, and she is, indeed, very much happy (as is everyone and everything who has benefitted from Annabelle's knitting passion and generosity, except, needless to say, the greedy archduke who only desired the box of yarn for himself).
Now I have generally not always been that much a fan of Jon Klassen's artwork and illustrative style, but with regard to his accompanying pictures for Mac Barnett's narrative in Extra Yarn, I have indeed been very much pleasantly surprised and charmed (at how the black, white and brown colours of Annabelle's cold and dreary little town are made more beautiful and warmer with and by her colourful knitting patterns, but also how the colourful knitting threads do not ever erase the browns, whites and blacks of the townscape but rather embrace them to form a charming and warming combination of all colours, well, at least in Annabelle's town, for the exact opposite is of course and fortunately true with regard to the the archduke and his castle, as both his domicile and he and his attire always remain sombre, dark and depressing).
June 12, 2016
2013 Caldecott Honor Book I read because I am a fan of Barnett and Jon Klaasen's teamwork on Sam and Dave Dig a Hole. Feels fresh and inventive and surprising, with a strong and generous main girl character who knits sweaters and hats for everyone she knows, then she knits for buildings, animals, houses, cars, and so on, drawing yarn out of a kind of magic box that gets explained (sort of, and satisfactorily, for me) in the end. She won't sell the yarn for ten million. Knitting stuff for other people is good, I learned. Pretty great story.
March 18, 2014
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett reads like an old school fairy tale or legend. A magical story spun with quirkiness and quiet humor.
Annabelle finds some extra yarn in a box, so she knits, knits, and knits sweaters and more for everyone in and around her town. She gives and gives. Decorates and decorates. Smiles and smiles. The yarn box is never empty. Is it magic? Is it a trick? Is it true? You decide.
Jon Klassen’s illustrations complement Annabelle’s adventures in yarn perfectly. Bringing the yarn covered village and characters alive with browns, tans and soft natural hues. Pictures that fit this story to a T.
A simple tale about a girl, her yarn, an evil mustached archduke, and magic.
A simple tale that you can read, tell, pass on and share again and again.
An instant classic in my book.
January 13, 2013
An amazing story about the power of creativity, yes, but there is much more to this magical book. It's also about letting your own lovely light shine, regardless of the the cynicism & negativity of others. And be aware – there will be those who covet your light, and who will do what it takes to steal, control or crush it.
This book is about staying true to one's beliefs, & quite frankly, not 'letting the bastards get you down'. Yes, the art is astounding, but it's the message of the story that really rocked my world.
I freakin' LOVE this book.
This book is about staying true to one's beliefs, & quite frankly, not 'letting the bastards get you down'. Yes, the art is astounding, but it's the message of the story that really rocked my world.
I freakin' LOVE this book.
September 11, 2019
After reading several other Barnett/Klassen titles this week, I expected another humorous, bizarre, and fairly irrelevant (in a good way!) story, but Extra Yarn is actually entirely different! It's a really sweet, soft tale of a little girl who discovers fortune in a box of never-ending yarn, so she decides to use that yarn and knit sweaters for everyone and everything she meets. I loved the soft color palette and the ending, plus it was a great read-aloud title for story-time (as I've found every other Barnett title I've read to be, too).
January 14, 2023
Beautiful illustrations and a fun story! I really liked the little girls dog companion in this book and the idea of a box of yarn that never runs out is a good idea for a story!
March 12, 2012
Imagine the positive influence one person can have over a place if their intentions are pure. How much good can one person do when they seek to make the place they live in better and when they seek to do so one person at a time. This is exactly what Annabelle sets out to do when she finds what seems to be an ordinary box filled with ordinary yarn. Once Annabelle knits herself a sweater she finds there is extra yarn, she then knits Mars, her dog, a sweater, and from here the story takes off. Annabelle knits sweaters for Nate, her teacher, her classmates, the towns’ people, and the town all the while changing a gloomy, grey, glum atmosphere into one that is positive, bright, and very colorful. All this positive energy attracts the attention of the Archduke who promises Annabelle wealth and riches for the box; all of which she refuses. The Archduke, not used to being refused conspires to have the box at any cost.
Extra Yarn is the story of what can happen when one person decides they are going to effect positive change. This is the story of the positive influence one person regardless of age, position, or experience can cause when they set their mind and heart to a cause. In it the reader will see what happens to those who try to harm those whose intentions are good and pure. It is the story of how the good we do comes back to us in ways we can never imagine.
Mac Barnett’s simple text evokes a story that is thought provoking meaningful. Annabelle’s story will compel the reader to think about what he or she can do to make their world a better place. Through Annabelle, Barnett challenges the reader to think beyond their world and look towards those we touch on a daily basis to leave our places of work, home, and world better than we found it. Children and teachers will have much to discuss after reading this book.
Jon Klassen’s illustrations beautiful illustrations bring this story to life. The flat one-dimensional illustrations reveal the gloominess of Annabelle’s world before the knitting and the rich and colorful texture of the world after she has clothed the world in her sweaters. The artwork begs to be touched as we read the story. In looking at the pictures we can feel the grittiness of Annabelle’s world before the sweater and we want to wrap ourselves in the warmth of the global sweater when we are done. Not only is her world warmed and comforted by Annabelle’s talent but our hearts are as well. The images evoke that comfort that can only come from a well knit – hand knit sweater.
Readers will be very happy in this simple thought provoking story Barnett has created and the rich illustrations Klassen uses to illuminate the text.
Extra Yarn is the story of what can happen when one person decides they are going to effect positive change. This is the story of the positive influence one person regardless of age, position, or experience can cause when they set their mind and heart to a cause. In it the reader will see what happens to those who try to harm those whose intentions are good and pure. It is the story of how the good we do comes back to us in ways we can never imagine.
Mac Barnett’s simple text evokes a story that is thought provoking meaningful. Annabelle’s story will compel the reader to think about what he or she can do to make their world a better place. Through Annabelle, Barnett challenges the reader to think beyond their world and look towards those we touch on a daily basis to leave our places of work, home, and world better than we found it. Children and teachers will have much to discuss after reading this book.
Jon Klassen’s illustrations beautiful illustrations bring this story to life. The flat one-dimensional illustrations reveal the gloominess of Annabelle’s world before the knitting and the rich and colorful texture of the world after she has clothed the world in her sweaters. The artwork begs to be touched as we read the story. In looking at the pictures we can feel the grittiness of Annabelle’s world before the sweater and we want to wrap ourselves in the warmth of the global sweater when we are done. Not only is her world warmed and comforted by Annabelle’s talent but our hearts are as well. The images evoke that comfort that can only come from a well knit – hand knit sweater.
Readers will be very happy in this simple thought provoking story Barnett has created and the rich illustrations Klassen uses to illuminate the text.
July 16, 2017
Summary: With a supply of yarn that never runs out, Annabelle knits for everyone and everything in town until an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself.
This is the second time that I have taken this book out of the library and read it, and I am still a little mystified. The story itself is like a folktale. There is good and evil, a heroine, magic, etc. But the execution is lacking. There is really no driving problem, so the "resolution" is weak. The moral is to be happy with what you have, but Annabelle was happy before she found the box of yarn. She experienced no change by the end of the story.
Nevertheless, the illustrations are up to Klassen's usual high standards. This was a Caldecott Honor Book for 2013 as well. One of the animals even looked like the bear in I Want My Hat Back!
This is the second time that I have taken this book out of the library and read it, and I am still a little mystified. The story itself is like a folktale. There is good and evil, a heroine, magic, etc. But the execution is lacking. There is really no driving problem, so the "resolution" is weak. The moral is to be happy with what you have, but Annabelle was happy before she found the box of yarn. She experienced no change by the end of the story.
Nevertheless, the illustrations are up to Klassen's usual high standards. This was a Caldecott Honor Book for 2013 as well. One of the animals even looked like the bear in I Want My Hat Back!
February 4, 2013
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett is illustrated by Jon Klassen, the author of I Want My Hat Back and This is Not My Hat (review coming). For fans of Klassen's books, there's a cameo tucked inside.
Annabelle finds a box of yarn. It's the most colorful thing in her dreary village — a place that reminds me of the painting Jagers in de Sneeuw (1565) by Pieter Bruegel. Just imagine that snowy landscape filled with Klassen's characters, being slowly but surely covered in knitted sweaters and blankets and whatnot.
Presented with a box full of yarn, Annabelle sits down and knits herself a sweater. When the box remains full of yarn she knits sweaters for all her friends and family, neighbors, and the local wildlife and pets. When she still has yarn, she yarn bombs the village and the forest until everything is colorful.
It's here that her knitting draws the attention of a jealous duke. He steals the box but the yarn isn't there. It doesn't matter if you have the tools and supplies if you don't have the drive to create.
Annabelle finds a box of yarn. It's the most colorful thing in her dreary village — a place that reminds me of the painting Jagers in de Sneeuw (1565) by Pieter Bruegel. Just imagine that snowy landscape filled with Klassen's characters, being slowly but surely covered in knitted sweaters and blankets and whatnot.
Presented with a box full of yarn, Annabelle sits down and knits herself a sweater. When the box remains full of yarn she knits sweaters for all her friends and family, neighbors, and the local wildlife and pets. When she still has yarn, she yarn bombs the village and the forest until everything is colorful.
It's here that her knitting draws the attention of a jealous duke. He steals the box but the yarn isn't there. It doesn't matter if you have the tools and supplies if you don't have the drive to create.
April 5, 2012
Interesting concept! Loved the illustrations--while they might not normally be my cup of tea, they worked really well here showing how a bleak, dark town is transformed to warmth and color by the girl's kindness and the magic of the yarn.
April 3, 2017
Dream team of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
March 2, 2019
Prickly-penned children's author Mac Barnett, the creator of such hilarious tales as
Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem
and
Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World
, and talented illustrator Jon Klassen, whose recent
I Want My Hat Back
was chosen as one of The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011, join forces in this new picture-book, which follows the story of a young girl who discovers a magical box of yarn one day. Knitting a colorful sweater for herself, and then for her dog Mars, Anabelle slowly enlivens the cold black-and-white world around her, always reaching for more of the extra yarn when it is needed, and finding that it is always there...
Chosen as one of our December selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Warm Quilts and Soft Mittens," Extra Yarn is a book that I appreciated more than I loved. I seem to be in the distinct minority on this one, but although I found Klassen's artwork just magical - and highly recommend the book to all of his admirers - the story didn't strike that chord with me that it has with others. It was interesting...but it just didn't grab me.
Chosen as one of our December selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Warm Quilts and Soft Mittens," Extra Yarn is a book that I appreciated more than I loved. I seem to be in the distinct minority on this one, but although I found Klassen's artwork just magical - and highly recommend the book to all of his admirers - the story didn't strike that chord with me that it has with others. It was interesting...but it just didn't grab me.
October 7, 2015
Rating, 3.5
A warm story for the little ones.
You sure can do a lot with some extra yarn. Even I felt a little warmer reading it the other day, despite the out-of-season cold wind blowing outside.
Lovely and short (duh, it's for little children). Written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (he of the delightful I Want My Hat Back ... I would recognize that bear everywhere.
A warm story for the little ones.
You sure can do a lot with some extra yarn. Even I felt a little warmer reading it the other day, despite the out-of-season cold wind blowing outside.
Lovely and short (duh, it's for little children). Written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (he of the delightful I Want My Hat Back ... I would recognize that bear everywhere.
October 7, 2019
This is an unusual, but magical story about a little girl who brings a bit of color and warmth to her world. Everywhere the little girl went, she met with scorn and adversity, but she unwaveringly persisted, always with a contented smile.
Our girls loved that they recognized Jon Klassen's illustrations by the image of the bear from I Want My Hat Back, and yes there was even a bunny rabbit. Overall, this is a simple, but charming story and we really enjoyed reading it together.
This story was selected as one of the books for the December 2012 - Warm Quilts and Soft Mittens reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was also selected as one of the books for the December 2017- Caldecott Honors 2013-2017 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
October 2019 update: Reread this book at the middle school where I am interning as part of my Master of Library and Information Science School Library and Media program. The story is just as charming and magical as it was the first time.
Our girls loved that they recognized Jon Klassen's illustrations by the image of the bear from I Want My Hat Back, and yes there was even a bunny rabbit. Overall, this is a simple, but charming story and we really enjoyed reading it together.
This story was selected as one of the books for the December 2012 - Warm Quilts and Soft Mittens reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was also selected as one of the books for the December 2017- Caldecott Honors 2013-2017 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
October 2019 update: Reread this book at the middle school where I am interning as part of my Master of Library and Information Science School Library and Media program. The story is just as charming and magical as it was the first time.
August 17, 2013
A colourful, quirky story about a girl who finds a ball of yarn that never seems to run out. She knits jumpers for herself, her family and friends, her animals, and even for cars and houses, but still there is extra yarn. When a greedy man tries to buy the yarn and is refused, he resorts to stealing it. But once it is stolen, it suddenly stops its supply and vanishes completely. Though the man curses the girl, his curse doesn't seem to effect her and she remains happy with all her knitted goods and the friends who wear them.
I wondered if the yarn might be a metaphor for happiness, or perhaps for love. The more you give it away, the more it grows, never running out so that everyone can be covered with it. And as the greedy man discovered, you can't steal love, and neither can you curse those who give it. Because giving it freely makes you happy, and produces more.
Reviewed for www.GoodReadingGuide.com
I wondered if the yarn might be a metaphor for happiness, or perhaps for love. The more you give it away, the more it grows, never running out so that everyone can be covered with it. And as the greedy man discovered, you can't steal love, and neither can you curse those who give it. Because giving it freely makes you happy, and produces more.
Reviewed for www.GoodReadingGuide.com
February 6, 2013
FREAKING ADORABLE! Someone recommended this to me months ago, and I thought it looked mildly interesting. But it's a sweet and beautifully illustrated story about a little girl named Annabelle (a name dear to my heart) who finds a magic box of yarn and begins to knit sweaters for everyone in her town. I mean, it's like this book was MADE FOR ME.
January 24, 2012
I've never knitted anything in my life. Not a thing. The extent of my self-crafted wardrobe is limited to ironing letters on a t-shirt, which I promptly threw on stage at a concert (don't worry, I had another shirt underneath). But I would imagine there's a lot of satisfaction in creating an item of clothing out of nothing and a ball of yarn. Of fabricating something, however minor. This concept of making an impact on the world, one small piece at a time is at the core of Extra Yarn. Full of beauty and humor, it's a book that will likely stick with you after the story is done.
When Annabelle finds a box filled with multicolored yarn, she does what you might expect - she knits a sweater. But there is extra yarn, so she knits sweaters for others - classmates and teachers and even animals. Still: more yarn. She begins to cover her entire cold, drab town in rainbow knitwear - including buildings and trees. The change is dramatic. Before long, an archduke arrives and offers Annabelle riches in exchange for the box. When she refuses, the archduke has it stolen. But it is for naught - he finds the box empty and angrily tosses it in the sea, where it eventually returns to Annabelle.
The conclusion will have kids asking the question - why was the box empty for the archduke? Camp #1 will say "well, the yarn just happened to run out", while Camp #2 will likely infer that the box was empty because it needs Annabelle for the magic to happen. Count me a member of the latter group.
Some subtle humor comes into play, particularly when Annabelle begins knitting for the benefit of inanimate objects, covering mailboxes, houses, and pickup trucks in sweaters. This sort of absurdity fits with Barnett and Klassen's previous work.
The ink, gouache, and digital illustrations (which bring to mind Alice and Martin Provensen's work in Caldecott-winner A Glorious Flight) are understated and gorgeous. Klassen's previous book I Want My Hat Back garnered wide acclaim with stark illustrations (and a wicked ending). Here the starkness is contrasted by the technicolor yarn. I understand Klassen created the distinctive sweater texture by scanning an actual sweater and digitally tweaking it - an inventive, and visually rewarding touch.
This isn't a book solely for fans of the off-beat - it's a story everyone can savor.
When Annabelle finds a box filled with multicolored yarn, she does what you might expect - she knits a sweater. But there is extra yarn, so she knits sweaters for others - classmates and teachers and even animals. Still: more yarn. She begins to cover her entire cold, drab town in rainbow knitwear - including buildings and trees. The change is dramatic. Before long, an archduke arrives and offers Annabelle riches in exchange for the box. When she refuses, the archduke has it stolen. But it is for naught - he finds the box empty and angrily tosses it in the sea, where it eventually returns to Annabelle.
The conclusion will have kids asking the question - why was the box empty for the archduke? Camp #1 will say "well, the yarn just happened to run out", while Camp #2 will likely infer that the box was empty because it needs Annabelle for the magic to happen. Count me a member of the latter group.
Some subtle humor comes into play, particularly when Annabelle begins knitting for the benefit of inanimate objects, covering mailboxes, houses, and pickup trucks in sweaters. This sort of absurdity fits with Barnett and Klassen's previous work.
The ink, gouache, and digital illustrations (which bring to mind Alice and Martin Provensen's work in Caldecott-winner A Glorious Flight) are understated and gorgeous. Klassen's previous book I Want My Hat Back garnered wide acclaim with stark illustrations (and a wicked ending). Here the starkness is contrasted by the technicolor yarn. I understand Klassen created the distinctive sweater texture by scanning an actual sweater and digitally tweaking it - an inventive, and visually rewarding touch.
This isn't a book solely for fans of the off-beat - it's a story everyone can savor.
January 9, 2013
Annabelle lives in a small town where everything is dull and everyone is more-or-less the same...until she finds a box of colorful yarn. This yarn is colorful and soon attracts attention but Annabelle is never discouraged or greedy, she just continues to knit with her colorful yarn.
I adored this book. The message is empowering but it is not preachy, the story unfolds in a natural, witty way that readers of all ages can understand and enjoy.
I adored this book. The message is empowering but it is not preachy, the story unfolds in a natural, witty way that readers of all ages can understand and enjoy.
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May 14, 2017A little girl finds a miraculous box of colorful yarn and before long everyone --and everything-- in her town is the proud owner of something knitted by Annabelle. Word of the magic box spreads and a mean out-of-towner comes to check-out the situation. A modern fairy tale, told in a pleasingly simple manner. –Kate D.-
June 28, 2023
My child and I really enjoyed this book. More than a mere picture book, it was thought provoking. With enough words for a 2nd or 3rd grader to enjoy, either to read by themselves, or perfect to be read together, before bed time.
November 25, 2021
I was at Barnes and Noble today trying to get my 4-year-old a "wordy" picture book because she's a bit book obsessed these days and I want her to fall in love for books just like her Mama. I ended up getting her one book and they told me I could get Extra Yarn at a discounted price. I am so glad I did.
Extra Yarn is the sweet tale of a little girl named Annabelle who lives in a world that is "either the white of snow or the black of soot from chimney's." So she decides to go home and knit herself a sweater.
Initially, no one likes her sweaters because they are too different, too colorful, they don't look like the rest of the townspeople. Yet, Annabelle kindly knit's a sweater for anyone, whether they ask or not.
When the Archduke comes to town asking for Annabelle's yarn, she doesn't want to give it. What ensues is not kindness but Annabelle stays steadfast.
What a sweet story, softly etching the moral of kindness into the hearts of our youngsters. The writing is elegant, yet simple. The illustrations perfectly subdued like the city in which the book exists.
I loved this book that brought a little color to our sometimes dull world.
Extra Yarn is the sweet tale of a little girl named Annabelle who lives in a world that is "either the white of snow or the black of soot from chimney's." So she decides to go home and knit herself a sweater.
Initially, no one likes her sweaters because they are too different, too colorful, they don't look like the rest of the townspeople. Yet, Annabelle kindly knit's a sweater for anyone, whether they ask or not.
When the Archduke comes to town asking for Annabelle's yarn, she doesn't want to give it. What ensues is not kindness but Annabelle stays steadfast.
What a sweet story, softly etching the moral of kindness into the hearts of our youngsters. The writing is elegant, yet simple. The illustrations perfectly subdued like the city in which the book exists.
I loved this book that brought a little color to our sometimes dull world.
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