#551 of 1001 · February 2, 2022

Let’s take a stroll together along the lanes of imagination: here is @macbarnett and @jonklassen’s Extra Yarn. Annabelle’s town lies under a thick blanket of snow. One day, she comes across a box filled with yarn of every color. She knits herself a sweater, and finds herself with some yarn left over. She knits a sweater for her dog and still has some left. She knits for more and more people—family, friends, neighbors, local animals, and even the town buildings—but never seems to run out of yarn. Word spreads of Annabelle’s talent, and a wealthy archduke sails from across the sea to meet her. But, rather than commission a sweater, the archduke offers to buy the box of yarn itself. When she refuses, the haughty lord hires three robbers to steal the box from her house. However, when he opens the box, it is entirely empty. He hurls it out the window and into the sea in a rage, whereupon it finds its way back to its rightful owner. Barnett deftly navigates the faint magical realism of the plot with a tone of elegantly restrained humor. Klassen provides his trademark flat-style illustrations with light pinks, yellows, and greens against earthy browns. #extra #yarn #snow #box #knit #knitting #sweater #sweaters #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks