Extra Yarn - Thao Lam
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Extra Yarn

Extra Yarn

Extra Yarn

My mom took up knitting years ago to distract her from her troubles. She would knit during her long treks to work while riding on the bus and on the subway. She would knit at work during the long hours at the convenience store. On the rare occasions when she wasn’t working she would knit at home in front of the television. The sound of knitting needles will always bring me back to my mom. Keep reading…

Extra Yarn, written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen, was crafted with care like one of my mom’s knitted sweaters. From a seemingly endless box of yarn, a little girl name Annabelle keeps knitting. Enjoying the act of creating and giving, Annabelle knits clothing for everyone (even the four legged) and everything around her. Changing attitudes by warming the hearts of the ill-tempered, Annabelle brings colour to a dreary little town with her knitted creations. It doesn’t take much to change the world around you; with a little persistence and creativity even a child can make a difference. Extra Yarn will warm your heart.

Extra Yarn is a stunner! With a single colour of black Chinese ink, Jon Klassen has the ability to create wonderful subtle tones and textures that are expressively moody. As the yarn gets introduce into the story, so does colour. The different blends of colour in the yarn against the white and black background just lights up the page. I have so many questions on technical execution; how did Klassen create the yarn texture and the colour transition? Did he roll out a palette of colours on an actual sweater and take an imprint? What I would give to be a fly on his studio wall! I really find Jon Klassen’s illustrations inspiring and motivating. I have an itch to pull out my inks and experiment with all the possibilities.

Extra Yarn,a children’s book review by Thao Lam

Author Mac Barnett

Mac Barnett is the founder of the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers, and serves on the board of 826LA, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center. If you are not familiar with the 826 National you should check them out – it is a brilliant concept! The first flagship store was in San Francisco, the Pirate Store that was featured in a TED Talk. I had the privilege of visiting the Pirate Store on my last visit to San Francisco and it lived up to all my expectations. I am looking forward to visiting their entire roster of flagship stores.

Intrigued? Check out:

www.826national.org

www.826la.org

www.macbarnett.com

 

Illustrator Jon Klassen

Other books illustrated by Jon Klassen; I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat

To see more talented works by Jon Klassen check out the following websites; www.jonklassen.tumblr.com and www.burstofbeaden.com

Publisher Balzer + Bray (January 17, 2012)

ISBN-10 0061953385

ISBN-13 978-0061953385