Picture Book Review: Extra Yarn, by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (Illustrator)

Extra Yarn, by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (Illustrator)
This looks like an ordinary box full of ordinary yarn.

But it turns out it isn't.

Reading level: Ages 4 and up
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (January 17, 2012)

My Review:
Perhaps you have heard about this book before.  Perhaps you haven't.  If you are unfortunate enough to have never heard about it before today, then consider yourself lucky that you are reading this review.

There are many picture books that I like, a few that I love, and every now and then one comes along that I absolutely, positively, MUST get a hard copy of.  Extra Yarn is a must have for every child's library.  This is not the kind of book that you can get by with checking out of the library (although that's good, too).

Extra Yarn is the story of a girl that lives in a dirty, cold town.  She finds a box of colorful yarn and starts to knit, but she never seems to run out of yarn.

This is one of those books that I read and then thought, "Why aren't there more books like this?"  It is a beautiful, entertaining fable that will delight children and adults of all ages.  Stories like this don't come around very often.  Honestly, if you were to ask me what my #1 pick in children's picture books is, this would be it.  I highly recommend this book.  There is a reason that it has so many 5 star reviews!

The Artwork: I cannot say enough good about Jon Klassen and his beautiful illustrations.  The art was simply outstanding.  I just loved it.  I don't know if the publisher could have paired up a better team than Barnett and Klassen.  

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website | Illustrator Website

About the Author:

Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers. 











About the Artist:

 Jon Klassen received the 2010 Canadian Governor General’s Award for his illustrations in Caroline Stutson’s CAT'S NIGHT OUT. He also created illustrations for the popular series THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE and served as an illustrator on the animated feature film Coraline. I WANT MY HAT BACK is the first book he has both written and illustrated. Originally from Niagara Falls, Canada, he lives in Los Angeles.