Read: Extra Yarn (plus weaving mini mats, and a giveaway)

The boys and I have been reading "Extra Yarn" recently. It's a simple tale, of a little girl Annabelle who finds a box filled with yarn of every colour. She starts knitting, and knitting, and there is always some extra yarn left. She continues knitting, and slowly, the village is transformed by her box of yarn. Until one day, her box is stolen from her... and you'll have to read the book to find out what happens next!

It is a beautiful book with a heartwarming storyline, and it is no wonder that this book is a Caldecott Honor Book, and has been awarded the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. The illustrations are spare and simple, and you see the gentle transition of a monochrome palette to pastel colours as the story progresses. 

To accompany our reading of the book, we made cardboard looms and tried weaving with them (using this tutorial). Lil J found it too difficult and gave up, while Junior J caught on after awhile and was able to weave quite quickly. His interest waned after awhile though, so I helped him to finish his mat. Now his piece has become a mat for the dollhouse for his dinosaurs!

I found the tips given in the the tutorial useful: we wrapped the yarn with washi tape to allow for easier weaving. I find giving the kids shorter lengths of yarn to start off helps, as longer lengths may get tangled during the weaving process, and it can be frustrating having to untangle the yarn all the time. Using thicker yarn also allows for weaving to be completed at a faster rate.

We're going to put weaving aside for now since Junior J is struggling with it, but will take it up again next time, since there are so many possibilities with weaving: mats, baskets, containers, just to name a few.

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And good news! We have a copy of "Extra Yarn" to give away to one reader, thansk to MPH! Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below to enter in the giveaway (please remember to leave your name and email address in the comments so we can contact you if you win!):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The book is available at MPH, and you can view their current promotions here. (Parents, you might be interested to know that the Parkway Parade branch is now having 20% off selected award-winning children titles for the month of September!)

Disclaimer: We received a copy of the book for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received, and all opinions are our own.