Title: The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater...That Grandma Knit
Written by: Debbie Macomber and Mary Lou Carney
Illustrated by: Vincent Nguyen
Format: Hardcover
Published by: HarperCollins Children's Books
ISBN: 978-006165093-2
This Edition Published: 2009
Suggested Retail Price: US $16.99/Canada $22.50
Approximate Reading Time: 8 minutes
Summary
"The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater...that Grandma Knit" about a little boy named Cameron who receives a hand knit sweater from his grandmother for his birthday. Cameron thinks his grandmother is wonderful but he despises the sweater. He thinks it is the ugliest thing ever. From the moment he lays eyes on it, Cameron tries to come up with a way to get rid of the sweater. He puts it on the dog, sneaks it into a rummage sale and spreads condiments all over it. He is repeatedly thwarted in his efforts and before long, it is the Christmas season and Grandma is coming to visit. Cameron's mother suggests that he wear the sweater to the train station to pick his grandmother up and Cameron grudgingly obliges. Once his grandmother arrives, she tells him about why she chose the colours in his sweater, green to remind her of the grass at his soccer field, blue because of his blue bike, etc. Upon hearing about her choices and reflecting on the time and love she put into it, Cameron decides that he is proud of the sweater and intends to wear it for a long time. At the end of the book there are "How to Knit" instructions plus a pattern for a sweater like Cameron's.
Review
As soon as we finished reading this book, both of my girls asked me for sweaters just like Cameron's. They seemed to appreciate the idea that Cameron's grandmother had spent a lot of her time and energy to custom make a present for him. They liked how she thought happy thoughts of him as she knit it and they understood that such a thing would be special.
I think this book is a good one for any child who had received a hand made present and not seen it for the special thing it is. Hand made presents should hold a place of honour among presents because they are usually made with love, take oodles of time and are only given to choice people. Most adults know this, but many a child has to be taught that the things people make or put a lot of time and love into deserve special recognition and special treatment.
This book is also good for helping kids to understand that often, hand made things can be received with joy. They can pack all their love and respect for a special person into something they make themselves and those presents are just as special (or more special) than things bought at the store.
The illustrations in this book are bright and lively and can keep the attention of little kids. The story itself is nicely written and we can feel Cameron's frustrations at not being able to rid himself of the sweater, and later, his grandmother simply oozes with love for that kid and so it isn't hard for the kids to see how special the sweater is. The story is rather lengthy and although this was no a problem for a 4 and 5-year-olds, I probably wouldn't recommend it for kids under three as they may find it a bit long.
Newsflash
Summer is upon us and we will be spending the next few weeks going to lots of fun places and doing lots of fun things. I will still post a weekly book review but I can't promise they will be up and ready on Monday mornings for the next little while. Check back often for updates or subscribe to Tadpole Tale's feed so you don't miss anything.
Available Online:
Chapters.indigo.ca
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