PICTURE BOOK REVIEW : The Christmas Sweater by Jan Brett
ABOUT THE BOOK
When Yaya reveals the highly adorned Christmas sweater she has knit for pet pug, Ari, her grandson thinks it’s just perfect. It’s covered in bells, candy canes, ornaments and more—how fun! Ari, however, disagrees. Convinced a hike in the December air will change her mind, they set off, the boy in his new snowshoes and the dog in her new sweater.
It isn’t long before snow begins to fall, cloaking the world around them in white. Suddenly, the boy realizes that Ari’s sweater has disappeared along the way, and what’s more, the snow has covered their footsteps and every landmark. How will they find their way back?
Ari barks at something sticking out of the snow. With a tug, red yarn is revealed, leading the way home. And they’re in for a bigger surprise when they see that forest friends have been collecting all of the baubles from the sweater and show them off in a grand way.
REVIEW
With her typically gorgeous art, Jan Brett tells this cute story based on the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. A young boy and his dog set off on a hike through the new woods, allowing the boy to try out his new snowshoes and Ari to wear his new Christmas sweater made by Theo's grandmother. But the dog isn't too fond of the sweater and when the sweater catches on a tree branch it begins to unravel. While the boy carries on into the woods toward the lake with Ari and their snacks in his pack. Unfortunately, the snow starts to cover everything in a layer of white making it hard to recognize where they are on the trail. After stopping to enjoy the snacks and hot chocolate, Theo becomes worried when he realizes the snow is covering up their tracks, which he intended to use to find his way home. The unraveled sweater becomes the boy and dog's path home. As she usually does, Brett includes side panels that show what else is going on besides the main action sequence. In this case, readers watch as magpies gather up the fancy adornments from the dog's sweater and use them for a special something that adds to the fun at the end of the story. As always, it's enjoyable to read the author's note on the back flap to discover the inspiration behind the story and illustrations. A delightful new story highlighting the unexpected value to be found in gifts. Recommended.
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