A Christmas Sweater for Nina

PreS-Gr 2–The winter is harsh for a cat who lives in a cardboard box. Clad in a striped sweater, Nina roams through town to keep warm. As snowflakes fall, she walks past festively decorated stores, and neighborly forest animals full of holiday cheer. The down-on-her luck feline doesn’t notice that her sweater has completely unraveled until she is shivering. When the last strand of yarn is yanked out of her paws by an unseen force, Nina catches the tail end and follows the red trail. Heikkiläs charming illustrations follow a winding, cat-and-yarn chase around a caroling mouse choir, over rooftops, and through a bustling café. This frenzied journey comes to an end when Nina enters a bookstore and finds Ms. Badger finishing up a knitting project. There are some loose threads that readers may wonder about in the quick resolution that follows: “Even though Nina lost her sweater on that cold winter day, she found a new home.”