Extra Yarn

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Walker Books)
HC RRP $24.95
ISBN 9781406342314
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Young Annabelle finds a box of coloured yarn in the snow. She uses it to knit herself a jumper and one for her dog, then one for Luke and his dog. But there is lots of yarn left. She knits for her classmates, her teacher, all the people that she knows, but the magic yarn is never ending.

Word spreads about the endless yarn and reaches the ears of a clothes-loving archduke. He offers her ten million pounds for the box of yarn, but Annabelle refuses to part with it at any cost. The archduke sends robbers to steal the box, and he sails away with it.

But when the box is opened, there is only a pair of knitting needles inside. With a curse, the archduke casts the box into the sea. It floats back to its owner.

Here is a delightful message on how some things are worth more than money. The light and dark illustrations represent the bitter cold that engulfs the area. The importance of the yarn to Annabelle and her people is accentuated by the beautiful multi-coloured knitted objects that appear in startling contrast against the background landscape and represent the beauty money can’t buy.