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    Extra Yarn
    Extra Yarn
    Extra Yarn
    Audiobook7 minutes

    Extra Yarn

    Written by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

    Narrated by Nicola Barber

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    This is the story of how a young girl and her box of magical yarn transform a community. This modern fairy tale has the feel of a new classic.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateOct 1, 2014
    ISBN9780545845571
    Extra Yarn
    Author

    Mac Barnett

    Mac Barnett is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. His picture books include two Caldecott Honor–winning collaborations with Jon Klassen: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn. Among his other popular books are I Love You Like a Pig, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, and The Magic Word, illustrated by Elise Parsley. He lives in Oakland, California. You can visit him online at macbarnett.com.

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    Reviews for Extra Yarn

    4.5/5

    407 ratings50 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a great little story! I love the sound effects and the music. Also, the narrator is very talented!
    • 4/5
      What's not to love about this quietly charming book about a girl who generously gives of her time and yarn to almost literally knit the townspeople together? The Archduke who lusts after her yarn just doesn't get it.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful picture book. Even though I can't see any pictures, the cover looks cute. The story is wonderful, too!
    • 4/5
      Annabelle finds a box of colorful yarn and knits sweaters for everyone in her snowy, sooty town. It brightens up everything and everyone so much, that she starts to knit “sweaters for things that didn’t even need sweaters,” for example: a pickup truck. But miraculously she never runs out of yarn, and when an evil Duke steals it from her, it just as miraculously comes back to her.
    • 3/5
      Sweet, well-illustrated parable :)
    • 5/5
      I love this book. It is older book, I know, but this is the first time I've read it. Such a sweet book about love and kindness. I'm looking forward to reading it on a chilly day with my elementary students. Maybe I'll read it at my 3rd-5th grade knitting club!
    • 3/5
      In her cold and drab town, Annabelle one day discovers a box full of yarn, so she decides to knit herself a sweater. But it turns out there's extra yarn, so she knits a sweater for her dog also. As the magical box keeps producing extra yarn, Annabelle keeps knitting away ... until the day an archduke looks at her box with envy. What will Annabelle do then?This is an interesting picture book, with a fairy tale feel to it, even though it's not based on one (as far as I'm aware). The illustrations are really great, with the gray, dreary town slowly growing more colorful as Annabelle knits for everyone and everything. Although it's understated, I like how Annabelle chooses to use this magical gift to show kindness to others rather than hoarding up materials for herself (or selling them for lots of money). I could see this book working well for kids in elementary school, as either a readaloud or for them to read on their own.
    • 4/5
      This book was very creative book elementary students. It was about a girl you got a magic ball of yarn that never ran out. She makes yarn sweater for everyone she meets and even some yarn art. This is a very good fiction book for students especially if you want to do a creative writing activity afterwards. The illustrations really make the book and make it easy to follow the story.
    • 3/5
      Extra Yarn is a simple, but good book. The illustrations drastically enhanced the book. The town was described as “a cold little town, where everywhere you looked was either the white of snow or the black of soot from the chimneys” (pg.1). The main character then found a box that was described as “filled with yarn of every color” (pg.1). This concept of the town being black and white and dreary and the yarn being colorful was so important to the main idea of the book, and it showed in the pictures. Consistently throughout the book, everything was black and white except for this never ending colorful yarn. The illustrations did a magnificent job emphasizing the written text. I also liked the repetition. Multiple characters would sporadically comment on how Annabelle was soon going to run out of yarn, but she never did. It kept the reader wondering if she really would run out eventually while creating a nice rhythm to the book. After a few times of being questioned, the reader was able to pick up on the pattern. The big message of the book was how one person can single handedly have a positive effect on their community.
    • 4/5
      Gorgeous design and message, beautifully, subtly, and magically told. Artists will love it. Will children?
    • 4/5
      A little girls box of yarn never runs out so she creates sweaters for everyone and everything in town. Someone tries to steal the box but doesn't get very far. Love the contrast of the dark gloom juxtaposed with the gorgeous yarn colors.
    • 5/5
      In a cold and snowy undisclosed location, a young girl finds a box of yarn of every color and begins knitting. The yarn never runs out. If I were sharing this with children, I'd probably also compare this to the Biblical miracle of the feeding of the 5000. It's a cute story and made me laugh in a couple of places.
    • 5/5
      This book takes the reader on a journey to a very dull town that comes alive when a girl breathes color into it using colored yarn from a magic box. She is told at first that she cannot do it but she does not give up and transforms all of the townspeople with her generosity. A rich man offers the girl millions for her magic box and even tries to steal it, but finds the magic does not work for him and the box finds its way back to its rightful owner.
    • 4/5
      When one reads this book, you are captivated by how the town Annabelle resides in is completely gloomy. she on days comes across a box of colorful yarn. I was thoroughly engaged when reading this book because it shows how when things seem gloomy and distressing, the most out of ordinary thing can bring brightness to the world. No one would've thought that a little girl can bring such a light to the town that she lives in. The trials and tribulations allow Annabelle to be creative with how she uses the yarn. I would use this picture book in reading to a group of first graders because I feel as though they will be able to understand now being happy all of the time. They will understand the concept of being unhappy. I feel as though this book teaches everyone to find their creative side during hard times.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful for all ages, particularly knitters from young to old. I laughed out loud and cheered for Annabelle and her box of endless yarn!
    • 5/5
      "Extra Yarn" is a story of a small, cold, colorless town and Annabelle who finds a box filled with colorful yarn. This box of yarn seems endless as she makes colorful sweaters for everyone and everything in town, even animals, houses, and trucks. I loved the illustrations in this story. The town and people appear colorless and are placed against a white background. But, they quickly gain color as Annabelle knits everyone and everything a sweater. The change in color completely transforms the town and the mood of the story. I also liked the character of Annabelle. She is kind and giving to everyone, even those who make fun of her. For example, Nate makes fun of her and her dog's sweater by laughing "you two look ridiculous." But instead of getting upset or angry, Annabelle knits Nate a sweater anyway and he likes it. People around the world begin to hear of this box full of endless, colorful yarn, so the archduke tries to buy it from Annabelle. But Annabelle, politely denies his offer. So, the archduke steals the yarn. But once he gets it, he finds the box is empty and tosses it into the water. Eventually, it flows back to Annabelle who surprisingly finds the box isn't empty and continues to knit. From this ending, I found the big idea is you get what you give. Annabelle gave and gave, and in return she continued to receive an endless amount of yarn. On the other hand, the archduke took what did not belong to him and in the end received no yarn at all.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book! The illustrations were simple and worked extremely well with the story. The story was simply about a little girl who never ran out of yarn. She made sweaters and hats for everyone, even houses and animals! The Archduke offered her millions of dollars for her box, but she refused. The best part is when Annabelle has the box everything and everyone is happy and colorful in the illustrations and when the Archduke steals the box from her everything turns black and gray and grim. The text and illustrations work in harmony together to create the tone for the story. This book was a great find!
    • 3/5
      This is a story about a girl that enjoys using yarn to create many different things. This is a good book to show children even when people think you are crazy, you should continue to do what you love and what makes you happy. People looked at this little girl like she was crazy but she kept doing it anyway because she loved it.
    • 4/5
      Extra Yarn is a beautiful story about a girl who finds a magical box of never ending yarn. She warms the world with her gift, even the trucks get a sweater, but when an evil villain tries to take the box for himself, he finds it empty. The box simply finds its way back to our heroine and out into the world. Excellent illustrations, lovely text, and a great layout make this a fantastic new book.
    • 5/5
      This is a very good book for children to read because it symbolizes so many life lessons. The colorful yarn in an entirely black-and-white town represents happiness, and the fact that Annabelle can never run out of it means that as long as people let it be, happiness is everlasting. The part where Nate's jealousy causes him to make fun of Annabelle shows that this unhappy person is jealous of her happiness.When the archduke offers one, two, and then ten million dollars for the yarn and Annabelle refuses, the reader is shown that happiness in invaluable. There is no payment that the archduke can make that can cover the yarn because--excuse the cliché--no one can buy happiness. And after stealing the box, the archduke finds it to be empty because stealing does not earn happiness, only kindness and generosity do.
    • 4/5
      Extra yarn is a story about a girl named Annabelle that lives in a town that is basically depressed. The only colors to be found are black and white. Annabelle decides to knit a sweater one day which she falls in love with. This leads to her knitting a sweater for her dog and then eventually for everyone in the town. The happiness of Annabelle's love and kindness started to bring light to the town. The Archduke decided that he wanted to buy Annabelle's magic yarn that never ran out, but no matter how much he offered Annabelle she did not want to see her yarn. The Archduke ended up stealing the yarn. However once he opened the box, the yarn was not there. This is a story about kindness and how good things come to those that are kind. For Annabelle it was seeing her town colorful and happy.
    • 4/5
      Adorable little picture book about Annabelle and the mysterious box of yarn she discovered.
    • 5/5
      This book is quite darling. In a cold, colorless town, a girl named Annabelle finds a box of yarn of many colors. She knits herself a sweater and her dog and continues to make knit clothing for everyone around her, yet she always has extra yarn. How could it be? The archduke attempts to give her millions of dollars for the box in his curiosity of how it could be that she never runs out. She refuses his offer. Thieves steal the box in the night yet it turns out there is no more yarn left. The archduke curses the girl and sets the box afloat. Annabelle gets the box back and dispite the curse, she pleasantly discovers more yarn and happiness to be found. Theres a lesson to be had in this story. Can there be a price on happiness? How can you continue to spread joy and never run out? People are intrigued by the color and the joy this girl brings and shares. She freely gives and gives some more. She has an unlimited supply from a source that remains a mystery.
    • 5/5
      Everyone who knits should read this book and smile.
    • 5/5
      (I used this book for the library explore assignment.)In this book, a girl finds a box filled with yarn that will not empty. She makes sweaters for everyone and everything in town, spreading joy and happiness, until a man tries to buy her box. When she refuses, he steals it, but when he opens it, it is empty. It ends up floating back to her and she keeps making more sweaters.I didn't think I would love this book, but when I read it to my niece, she loved it and wanted it to be read to her again and again. The simple illustrations are beautiful and compelling. Color is used really well, as are line and shape. There is a gentle insistence to this story that I love. She wants to do what she wants to do and will not be dissuaded, no matter how rude her teacher or others are. She wins people over and spreads warmth and happiness. I also love the message that some things cannot be bought or stolen.
    • 5/5
      Annabelle loves to knit things for her community when she finds a never-ending box of yarn, before it gets stolen by a greedy archduke. The story is reminiscent of a folk tale with its good and evil the morals of the story. The lessons of bettering the community and making things by hand are crucial for young people to learn, and they are emphasized in the text while not being directly stated, leading children to find them themselves. The element of giving and the winter setting would make this a good holiday book that is not about a specific holiday.The illustrations are homey and beautiful. The stark white background emphasizes winter and makes the colors pop. The exaggerated stitch print is unique to this book and is visually striking. The illustrations begin in shades of brown, but rainbow hues of variegated yarn take over as Annabelle knits more sweaters. Extra Yarn is a good text to show the ways in which color can affect the mood of a story, with Annabelle’s world brightening as she gives out more sweaters. The sweet story and captivating images will make this a favorite book of yarn lovers and elementary readers alike.
    • 5/5
      This book blown me away. The message was really inspiring and the artwork of the yarn sweaters is really cool. The whole town seemed dark and plain, but when Annabelle started knitting, the whole town became really colorful.
    • 5/5
      I place this, along with The Dot, The Hundred Dresses, and a few others, in my personal pantheon of kids' books on how to live creatively, and live right.
    • 4/5
      This book of course has amazing illustraions. It's about a girl who find a box full of bright,colorful yarn and begins knitting things for the entire town. The town started off extremely dark and dull until this creative little girl started to make it a colorful, happy place with her magic yarn. The archduke wanted Annabelle's magic yarn and ended up stealing it. You have to read and find out whatever happened to the yarn when it's in the hands of the villan.
    • 5/5
      Annabelle is a young girl who stumbles across a box of colorful yarn. She begins by knitting herself a sweater. Her generous spirit leads to her knitting sweaters for the entire town. She changes the dull, black and white town into a colorful environment. Her box of yarn is endless, that is until the mean Archduke steal it from Annabelle.