Review by Booklist Review
Ruthie and her Jewish family work hard preparing wool to sell at the village market. When, on their way home, Ruthie and her parents encounter deaf Bayla and her baby, Aaron, stranded thanks to a broken wagon, they offer to shelter them for the night. While they're settling in, Ruthie wonders how Bayla knows when Aaron needs her at night if she can't hear him cry. She soon gets her answer: Bayla ties Aaron's wrist to her own with a brilliant blue piece of yarn. The yarn gives Ruthie an idea she makes one big mitten for Bayla and one tiny one for Aaron, connected by a long strand. Delighted by her thoughtfulness, Bayla teaches Ruthie the sign for mittens and shows her which plants make the brightest blue dye. Swarner's soft, textural illustrations, rendered in block prints overlaid with bright pops of color, have a warm and dreamy folk-art style, befitting the setting. A handy list of knitting terms and some signs close out the volume. A cozy tale of generosity and creativity.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-The Tobers raise sheep, and young Ruthie loves to knit mittens from their wool for the villagers. When her family befriends a deaf woman whose wagon has broken down and her baby, the child observes how the mother, Bayla, sleeps with a string tied between her own wrist and Aaron's, to alert her if her son wakes up in the night. Inspired, Ruthie knits the pair a set of baby- and mother-sized mittens connected by a string and goes on to make more for the local children to keep them from losing their mittens. "You are both clever and kind," her mother praises. "You make our world a bit better with every stitch." The character of Bayla is based on the author's great-great-aunt; Rosner also has two deaf daughters. It is not surprising, therefore, that her portrayal of deafness is extremely respectful and sensitive. When Bayla uses sign language with Aaron, "To Ruthie, it looked as if Bayla were standing before an invisible spinning wheel, her words flowing from her fingers like delicate strands of yarn." Swarner's rounded and gentle watercolor prints add to the safe, warm feeling of this story of resourcefulness and mutual admiration. The "old country" Jewish setting is subtle, giving the story flavor without dominating it. Knitting and sign-language glossaries round out this attractive title. This beautiful story of kindness, acceptance, and resourcefulness will have wide appeal.-Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Hand-knit mittens provide more than warmth.In an idyllic Old World Jewish village, Ruthie's family raises sheep and then processes, dyes and spins the wool. She uses the yarn to knit mittens for her neighbors. The family also sells their mittens at the town market. One day, they come across a mother and her baby on the road and in need of assistance, and they invite them to stay the night. Ruthie is amazed to learn that the woman, who is deaf, communicates by means of a chalk slate and sign language with the baby. To Ruthie, the hand movements are like "delicate strands of yarn." In the nighttime, the mother also ties a string of yarn to connect her hand with that of the baby. Ruthie comes up with the idea of knitting mittens for mother and child with a connecting stringand then also knits sets of children's mittens with a connecting strand to wear in a coat to keep the mittens from getting lost. Rosner's tale, based on a family story, is sweetly nostalgic and filled with warm good feelings. The softly textured paintings and rounded images complement the mood and present a bygone time through softly tinted lenses. A sentimental family story celebrating a close-knit community. (brief knitting glossary, brief sign language glossary, author's note) (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
