Story Books about Knitting
Here’s an idea, for kids who are too small to knit, or who would like to know about knitting or fiber-bearing animals. Story books!
Some of this list was originally published in Knitter’s Review no. 51, Summer 1998. Summaries, when available, are from OCLC WorldCat. Sometimes a book is for an older audience (for example junior high); that is noted. Just because a title appears on this list does not mean it has been reviewed by me for quality. In some cases I have listed both author and illustrator. And, there are many more books besides these; I’ve limited the list to approximately the last 15 years. If you have any to add, please email me!
Aber, Linda Williams and Joy Allen. Carrie Measures Up! (2001). Kane Press. ISBN: 1575651009. Carrie measures all sorts of things to help her grandmother with her knitting projects and then Carrie decides to knit something special herself.
Arrigan, Mary and Korky Paul. Pa Jinglebob, the Fastest Knitter in the West (2005). Crabtree Pub. Co. ISBN: 0778710882. Jemima Jinglebob is ashamed of her father, who knits instead of hunting and shooting, but when Not-Nice Nellie and her bandits hit town, it is Pa Jinglebob who saves the day.
Beak, Barbara. Octavia Warms Up (1991). Child’s Play International. ISBN: 0859537862. Octavia Octopus learns to knit in order to make leg-warmers to keep her legs from getting stiff when she dances. Includes instructions for making a yarn octopus and knitting leg-warmers and more.
Beskow, Elsa Maartman. Pelle’s New Suit (2000, from the original 1912 Swedish edition). Floris Books. ISBN: 0863150926. Pelle’s sheep gives him wool for a new suit, grandmother spins it into yarn, grandfather dyes it, mother weaves it, and the tailor cuts and sews the suit while Pelle does errands for each.
Bin Saad, Sermsah and Samantha Cook. The Best Little Knitter in the West (2000). Magabala Books. ISBN: 1875641521. George’s ability to knit comes in handy when a criminal invades his shop.
Blackwell, Peta. Woolly Jumpers (1998). Puffin. ISBN: 014038703X.
Blackwood, Mary. Derek the Knitting Dinosaur (1990). Carolrhoda Books. ISBN: 0876144008 (library binding edition). Derek, a little green dinosaur, is somewhat worried that he likes to stay home and knit instead of acting like his ferocious brothers, but the onset of cold weather allows his knitting to become useful.
Brett, Jan. The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folk Tale (1989). Putnam Publishing Group. ISBN: 039921920X, 0399231099. Several animals sleep snugly in Nicki’s lost mitten until the bear sneezes.
Brett, Jan. The Hat (1997). Putnam Publishing Group. ISBN: 0399231013. When Lisa hangs her woolen clothes in the sun to air them out for winter, the hedgehog, to the amusement of the other animals, ends up wearing a stocking on his head.
Christiansen, Candace. The Mitten Tree (2000). Scholastic. ISBN: 0439249538. Old Sarah knits mittens for all the children waiting for the school bus and hangs them on the blue spruce tree at the bus stop.
Coutu, Raymond and Renee Graef. Duke’s First Case: Jessie and the Missing Yarn (2001). Bear & Co. ISBN: 0971284067. After gathering clues to help their friend find her stolen yarn, a bear and a porcupine decide to open a detective agency.
De Beer, Hans and Marianne Martens. Oh no, Ono! (2004). North-South Books. ISBN: 0735819378. Ono the piglet’s curiosity involves him in such mishaps as getting trapped in a ball of yarn while playing with a kitten and accidentally running into a sleeping cow while knocking over haystacks.
de Paola, Tomie. Charlie Needs a New Cloak (1988). Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN: 0671664670. A shepherd shears his sheep, cards and spins the wool, weaves and dyes the cloth, and sews a beautiful new red cloak.
de Paola, Tomie. Snip, Snip, Little Lambs (1997). Troll Communications. ISBN: 0816740658. The Woolsey lambs at Fiddle-Dee-Dee Farms get their spring haircuts. The next morning the fields are covered with snow, but Granny has a surprise solution.
Dexter, Catherine. Safe Return (1996). Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763600059. In the early nineteenth century a Swedish orphan worries that she will again lose someone she loves when her aunt sails to Stockholm during the stormiest season. Note: elementary/junior high level.
Diller, Harriet. The Faraway Drawer (1996). Boyds Mills Press. ISBN: 1563971909.
Dunbar, Joyce and James Dunbar. Software Superslug and the Nutty Novelty Knitting (1995). Piper. ISBN: 033033607X.
Dunsmuir, Tom and David Silva. The Queen’s New Clothes (1998). Random House. ISBN: 067989120X. Queen Cat the Great, ruler of the Kingdom of Brrrr, comes to realize that by selfishly hoarding all the kingdom’s balls of yarn, she is depriving her subjects of warm clothing.
Faulkner, Keith and Jonathan Lambert. Bee Gets a Sweater (2003). Silver Dolphin Books. ISBN: 1571459650. A long time ago, all bees were just plain black. Then, one cold morning, Spider had an idea. With just a few balls of yarn and a pair of knitting needles, she set to work–and bees were never the same again. Can you guess what she did?
Gag, Wanda. Snippy and Snappy (2003, originally 1931). University of Minnesota Press. ISBN: 0816642451. Brother and sister field mice narrowly escape a trap when they follow their mother’s ball of yarn far from their cozy hay field home.
Garth, Tony and Ian Jackson. Milton and the Kitten (1996). Splash! Pub. ISBN: 1900207060. When Mrs. Witherspoon asks her dog Douglas to keep an eye on her friend’s kitten while they have tea, Douglas does it for the slice of cake he will get as a reward. But soon the kitten finds little Milton and Douglas fears he will eat him, so he finds some knitting wool to distract him into playing with that instead.
Gauch, Patricia Lee and Barbara Lavallee. The Knitting of Elizabeth Amelia (1999). DK Publishers. ISBN: 0789426056. Elizabeth Amelia, a knitted wool woman, marries and begins to knit children from strands of herself until she almost disappears.
Geras, Adele and Kathryn Brown. From Lullaby to Lullaby (1997). Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0689805683. A lullaby in which a parent, while knitting a blanket for a child, describes the dreams of each of the objects pictured in the blanket.
Greenstein, Elaine. One Little Lamb (2004). Viking. ISBN: 0670036838. Describes how a lamb’s coat is made into yarn, which is made into mittens worn by a little girl when she visits the lamb on the farm.
Hardin, Suzanne and Marjorie Scott. Rainbows All Around (1999). Learning Media Ltd. ISBN: 0478229097. Bailey wants to be a member of the club of her classmates, whose members wear handmade necklaces, but they won’t let her join. Then, Bailey learns how to make colorful rainbow yarn bracelets from a friend and makes one for every child in her class, making sure nobody is left out.
Heal, Gillian. Grandpa Bear’s Fantastic Scarf (1997). Beyond Words Publishing Co. ISBN: 1885223412. A wise old bear teaches his grandson about how to approach life and happiness, using the scarf he weaves each day as a metaphor.
Hearson, Ruth. The Non-Stop Knotty Knitter (2000). Orchard. ISBN: 184121003X. Note: pop-up book!
Hearson, Ruth and Jacqui Crawford. Knitted by Grandma (2001). Dial Books. ISBN: 0803726899.
Hilton, Nette. The Long Red Scarf (1991). Carolrhoda Books. ISBN: 0876143990 (library binding edition). After all his female relatives refuse to knit him a scarf as they go on about their business–driving the cows, building a crib–Grandfather learns to knit himself.
Holley, Cynthia and Michelle Waldele-Dick. Yarn (2001). I Knew That, Inc. ISBN: 1590430883.
Joyce, William. Zowie’s 1-2-3 (2002). Disney Press. ISBN: 0786833076. Spot, the robot dog, has lost Momma’s balls of yarn. Can little sister Zowie find them?
Juusola, Detta. How Nikki Shared Her Coat: The story of a happy dog who kept her family warm; plus, how to spin your own dog’s fur into yarn (1994). Woofspun Publishing. ISBN: 0963973606.
Klise, Kate and M. Sarah Klise. Shall I Knit You a Hat? A Christmas Yarn (2004). Henry Holt. ISBN: 0805073183. When Mother Rabbit knits a warm winter hat for Little Rabbit, he likes it so much that he suggests they make hats for all of their friends as Christmas gifts..
Lecher, Doris. Angelita’s Magic Yarn (1992). Farrar Strauss & Giroux. ISBN: 0374303320. Bad luck strikes Angelita, the fastest and finest knitter in the village of Oru, and she must get help up where the earth meets the sky.
Lenhard, Elizabeth. Chicks With Sticks: It’s a Purl Thing (2005). Dutton. ISBN: 0525476229. Four teenage girls from very different social cliques at their progressive Chicago high school become friends after forming a knitting club. Note: Forthcoming; expected release date 10/05.
Lodge, Bernard. Tanglebird (1997). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0395845432. Unable to build a tidy nest without making a mess, Tanglebird goes to the city and learns how to make wonderful tangles and knots.
Lunn, Janet Louise Swoboda. Amos’s Sweater (1994). Groundwood Books. ISBN: 0888992084.
Martinez, Ruth. Mrs. McDockerty’s Knitting (1990). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0395515912. Relates the precarious plight of Mrs. McDockerty who, with the help of a stool and barrel, climbs higher and higher on a table to finish her knitting and avoid her fighting animals.
Nielsen, Laura F. Jeremy’s Muffler (1995). Atheneum. ISBN: 0689803192. When Jeremy’s Aunt Alice knits him a super-long muffler, his mother says he has to wear it, and Jeremy’s problems begin.
Pickavance, Lynne and Rory Tyger. Grandma’s Yarn (2001). Barnes & Noble. ISBN: 0760723516. As Grandma sleeps, her two favorite kittens have fun with her knitting yarn. A delightful story, with a length of knitting yarn weaving its way across the charmingly illustrated pages. Note: summary from cover of book.
Polacco, Patricia. My Ol’ Man (1995). Philomel. ISBN: 0399228225. Drawing on the author’s memories of her youth, a girl recalls the special summer spent in Michigan with her yarn-spinning father and a magic rock.
Roth, Julie Jersild. Knitting Nell (2005). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0618540334. Everywhere Nell goes, she works on her knitting, quietly observing life around her, until one day she enters one of her creations in the county fair, and receives rewards beyond her dreams. Note: Forthcoming; expected release date 09/05.
Schaefer, Carole Lexa and Pierr Morgan. Sometimes Moon (1999). Crown Publishers. ISBN: 0517709813. A girl describes how sometimes she sees the changing moon as thin and silver like Grandpapa’s dory boat, sometimes as a half circle like Mama’s knitting basket, and sometimes round and chubby like the baby’s cheeks.
Schoop, Janice and Laura Beingessner. Boys Don’t Knit! (1994). Africa World Press. ISBN: 0865430772. Note: Out of print.
Scotton, Rob. Russell the Sheep (2005). HarperCollins. ISBN: 0060598484. This is Russell. Sometimes Russell is just a little bit out of step with the rest of the flock. All the sheep are falling asleep — except Russell. What’s a sheep to do? Russell tries everything . . . until, at last, he falls asleep. Note: Summary from Borders Books web site.
Shannon, Margaret. The Red Wolf (2002). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0618055444. Roselupin, a princess locked in a tower by her overprotective father, uses yarn to knit a red wolf suit to free herself.
Shaw, Nancy E. Sheep in a Jeep (1986). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 039541105X; 039586786X; 0395460158. Records the misadventures of a group of sheep that go riding in a jeep.
Shaw, Nancy E. Sheep in a Shop (1991). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0395536812; 0395872766; 0395706726. Sheep hunt for a birthday present and make havoc of the shop, only to discover they haven’t the money to pay for things.
Shaw, Nancy E. Sheep on a Ship (1989). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0395481600; 0395538807; 0395643767. Sheep on a deep-sea voyage run into trouble when it storms and are glad to come paddling into port.
Shaw, Nancy E. Sheep out to Eat (1992). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0395611288. Five hungry sheep discover that a teashop may not be the best place for them to eat.
Shaw, Nancy E. Sheep Take a Hike (1994). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0395683947. Having gotten lost on a chaotic hike in the great outdoors, the sheep find their way back by following the trail of wool they have left.
Shaw, Nancy E. Sheep Trick or Treat (1997). Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0395841682. When sheep dress up to go trick-or-treating at a nearby farm, their costumes scare away some wolves lurking in the woods.
Sloat, Terri and Nadine Bernard Westcott. Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool (2000). Dorling Kindersley. ISBN: 0789426374. Farmer Brown shears his sheep and has their wool made into yarn, but after they beg to have it back he knits the yarn into sweaters for them.
Verlander, Susan. Goodnight, Country (2004). Chronicle Books. ISBN: 0881841723. Explores the sights and sounds of going to bed in the country, from dinner bells ringing and screen doors swinging to mice pattering and knitting needles chattering.
Wallace, Barbara Brooks. Argyle (1992). Bell Books/St. Martin’s Press. ISBN: 1563970430. A Scottish sheep’s unusual diet causes him to produce multicolored wool, which changes his life and the fortunes of his owners.
Wild, Margaret. Mr. Nick’s Knitting (1989). Harcourt Brace. ISBN: 0152001166. When his knitting companion, Mrs. Jolley, who rides with him every day on the train into the city, becomes ill, Mr. Nick finds a way to cheer her up.
Williams, Laura. The Long Silk Strand (1995). Boyd Mill Press. ISBN: 1563972360. In this contemporary folktale set in ancient Japan, a young girl climbs a long silk strand hanging from heaven and discovers her grandmother waiting for her. Using a Japanese setting, this is the story of the bond between a girl and her grandmother that is so strong it conquers death. This beautiful picture book, set in ancient Japan, tells of the special love a grandmother & granddaughter feel for each other….
Winthrop, Elizabeth and Mitchell D. Tolle. The First Christmas Stocking (2003). ISBN: 0385328044. Grieving for her dead mother, a poor girl finds all her dreams fulfilled when, on Christmas Eve, she hangs above her hearth a stocking she has knitted.
Wolfson, Jill. What I Call Life (2005). Henry Holt. ISBN: 0805076697. Placed in a group foster home, eleven-year-old Cal Lavender learns how to cope with life from the four other girls who live there and from their storytelling guardian, the Knitting Lady. Note: elementary/junior high level.
Ziefert, Harriet and Deborah Kogan Ray. With Love From Grandma (2004). Sterling Pub. Co. ISBN: 1402717032.