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Kindergarten Books > Extra Yarn

Extra Yarn

Text: Mac Barnett | Illustration: Jon Klassen |Translation to Arabic: Loaay Wattad

Annabelle (Lubna in the Arabic translation) lives in a black-and-white world, where everything is drab. So when she finds a box filled with yarn of every color, she makes a sweater for herself, for her dog, her classmates, even for houses and cars. Soon an evil archduke with a sinister mustache “who was very fond of clothes” hears about the magic box of never-ending yarn, and he wants it for his own. This amusing, magical story celebrates a child’s  generosity, ingenuity and her ability to change the world around her.

 

Family Activities

Annabelle (Lubna in the Arabic version) finds a box of yarn and knits a sweater for herself. But one sweater turns into many that Annabelle knits to warm the people and animals in her town and transform her black-and-white world into a festival of colors!

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Dear Parents,

The magical power that stems from Annabelle’s kindness and her love for the people of her town, her ability to care for them even when they mock and harass her, and her generosity enable her to overcome the greed of the prince and to nullify his curse.

This is a beautiful story to share with our children about the magical effects of an act of generosity, an act of love and inclusion.

Family Activities

  • Consider the cover of the book: how do the drawings illustrate the title?
  • When reading aloud, we can pause every time we come across the phrase “extra yarn” and we can encourage our child to say it with us. This helps them become more engaged in the storytelling in an enjoyable way.
  • The townspeople and Annabelle’s classmates mock her, but instead of getting angry or sad, she responds by knitting sweaters for them. We can chat with our child about the impact of Annabelle’s reaction. If we had been in a similar situation, how would we have acted?
  • Together, we can imagine the journey that the magic box took to return to Annabelle. What did it encounter on the way?
  • If we found a magic box, what would we like to find in it? What would we do with its contents?
  • Annabelle took the initiative to redecorate her town with her colorful yarn. With our child, we can think of simple ways that can make our neighborhood more beautiful, such as planting some roses in front of our house.
  • There are many beautiful and easy crafts that can be made with children. What do you think of an art workshop in which family members participate?
  • These suggestions were developed by a team working in Al Fanoos Library from the Ministry of Education and the Grinspoon Foundation.
  • Enjoy your reading!

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