PreS-Gr 2—In a drab wintery town where everything is covered with snow and soot, Annabelle discovers a colorful box of yarn. After knitting herself a sweater, she discovers she has extra yarn. So, she knits a sweater for her dog, too. When there is still extra yarn, Annabelle begins knitting sweaters for her classmates, their pets, her teacher, her parents, and her neighbors. There is still extra yarn, so she knits sweaters for things that don't normally wear sweaters: mailboxes, houses, pickup trucks, and trees. Trouble arrives in the form of a greedy, clothes-loving archduke who offers large sums of money for Annabelle's magical box of yarn. After she refuses to sell it, robbers steal the box and bring it back to the archduke's castle. When he opens it, the box is empty, and the archduke curses Annabelle, promising she will never find happiness again. But when she surveys her now colorful and cozy town, it turns out she already has. Dainty background music complements Nicola Barber's gentle narration of this Caldecott Honor book (HarperCollins, 2012), and Jon Klassen's illustrations of vibrantly colored sweaters pop against the drab shades of Annabelle's town. The story's pacing is excellent, and optional closed captioning makes it easy for young viewers to read along as the story unfolds. A heartwarming selection for chilly winter days.—
Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA
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