Don't Write the Obit For Picture Books Yet

Don't Write the Obit For Picture Books Yet

Some of you may have read the New York Times article on the supposed demise of the picture book. Read this article in Publishers Weekly for a more balanced perspective. Most interesting (to me) were the comments on how graphic novels and picture books enhance visual literacy, something definitely considered a 21st century skill.

Take That! New York Times

Continuing with picture books about knitting, one of the prettiest books I have ever seen is Shall I Knit You a Hat? : a Christmas Yarn by Kate Klise.  Roger Ebert talks about the "willing suspension of disbelief" when watching certain movies.  You need to engage in the willing suspension of disbelief when reading this book -- not to believe that rabbits talk, nor to believe that rabbits knit, but to believe that any creature could knit not one, not two, but yes, 6 hats in one night.  Yes, this is technically a Christmas book, but the lessons of this book about caring and giving from the heart is a message for all. 

There Are Cats in This Blog!

I couldn’t imagine any better book to start my blog.  This book combines two of my great passions – books and knitting.  There Are Cats in This Book is a wonderful, funny, lift-the-flap (don’t worry – it can easily be repaired) book that any child would enjoy.  It truly captures cats’ personalities.  And for the adults who knit, you can knit the cats from the book!  That’s right, there are Patterns  to knit your own Moonpie, Tiny and Andre.  I confess I haven’t knitted my own yet, but the instructions seem clear and not that hard.  If you’re wondering what DK means in the instructions, I’ve looked it up.  DK stands for Double Knitting Yarn.  It is supposedly slightly finer than worsted weight.  If you end up using regular worsted weight, I think the worst thing that would happen is that you would end up with slightly larger cats.