PBT Grab & Go #16 - Extra Yarn

Here’s another gem in the PBT series I call Grab & Go in which I feature again secular books that are extremely easy to use in sacred settings. I don’t recommend this, but you could literally grab one of these books and go to your audience. The rich sacred connections will easily rise to the surface. Your job is simply to encourage your listeners as they find a godly character, spiritual practice, holy idea, or scripture connection. The book below is a favorite! In fact, I sell a lesson for elementary-aged kiddos connecting this book to the story in Acts of Dorcas/Tabitha’s resurrection. Contact me (see left column) if you’re interested in purchasing for just $4!

Picture Book: Extra Yarn

Author: Mac Barnett

Illustrator: Jon Klassen

Summary: In a colorless world, Annabelle finds a box filled with multi-colored yarn and begins knitting for herself and others. Miraculously, the yarn never runs out. As Annabelle faces criticism for her knitted pieces, she knits for the one who is criticizing and all are converted to the beauty and transformational nature of her work. When a rich archduke wants to purchase the extraordinary yarn and Annabelle refuses, he steals the box. Once in his castle, he opens the box to find it empty. Angrily he throws the box out into the ocean where it floats back to Annabelle so that she can continue her knitting.

Hanna’s Comments: This metaphor of how a young girl’s loving creativity can transform a community is beautifully intriguing. I especially like the way the illustrator shows yarn attaching a character to another character, demonstrating the loving bonds Annabelle is creating with her generosity.

Original Publisher & Date: Balzer + Bray, 2012

Age and Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Available in Spanish? Yes

Scripture Connections: Jesus’ healing power, Tabitha’s good works (Acts 9:36-42), Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12); Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

Idea(s) for Application: This book offers a beautiful metaphor for spreading love with your giftedness. Use it with a lesson on the transformational & healing power of generosity and good works. Tie it to the work of knitting or sewing ministries.

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 116

Picture Book: The Curious Garden

Author & Illustrator: Peter Brown

Summary: Liam lives in a gray, polluted city. He loves being outside and he’s curious so Liam goes exploring and discovers a lonely patch of color, the remnants of a garden on the elevated & unused railroad track. He decides to nurture it. With time, Liam’s understanding and passion for gardening grow. The garden too is curious and wants to explore so it begins spreading all over the city. Green spaces blossom and multiply, especially onto old, forgotten items. Eventually Liam’s neighbors become gardeners too. Many years later their lifeless town has been transformed into a colorful, life-giving community.

Hanna’s Comments: I learned in an interview with Peter Brown in the video mentioned below, that this book was inspired by the green spaces he found on the Highline, a non-working elevated railroad in New York City. The illustrations may seem like fantasy, but this book is based on fact. Wild flowers and weeds can crop up in amazing places in a city! This is such an empowering book for children! The idea of a child leading a city’s population toward a more healthy and beautiful existence is an idea that will inspire children. We need our children to be inspired to be outside and invested in beautiful, natural spaces. After reading this book, talk about ways your children might improve the beauty of your home or faith community’s environs. Perhaps you’ll nurture some future gardeners.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Little, Brown Books, 2009

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 3 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 40

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: Tablet, Video on Youtube.com, Audible, Also there is a video: The Curious Garden and Other Stories which includes videos of this book and 3 other picture books some of which will be offered later in August and September. 

PBT Category: Award Winner, Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abilities, abundance/bounty, action, art, attentiveness/observation/seeing, awe, beauty, beginnings/morning, blessings, call/calling/vocation, caring/tending, care of creation, change, commitment, community, creation, discovery/invention, the environment/nature, evangelism, exploration, flowers/leaves/trees, found, fruit/fruit of the Spirit, gardening/planting/pruning/sowing, generosity/giving/offering/stewardship, gentleness/meekness, gifts/giftedness/talents, God’s care/providence, God’s nature, gospel/good news, growing up/growth, harvest, helping, healing/healthcare, heroes, image of God, labor/work, land/mountains/soil, leadership/servant leadership, life, miracles, mission, neighborhood, nurturing, outreach, passion, perseverance, pleasing God/the Shema, power, prevenient grace, purpose, renewal/restoration, response to God, resurrection, steadfastness, time/timing/overtime, transformation, variety, water, weather, wisdom, work vs. faith/grace 

Scripture Connections: Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel (Mark 16:15); Jesus came that we may have abundant life (John 10:10b)  

Idea(s) for Application: As I read this book, I couldn’t help but think of the gardens as a metaphor for spreading the gospel. Liam’s passion transforms his city. Christians are called to delight in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 77

Picture Book: Yes Day!

Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld

Summary: Yes Day is the much-anticipated day on the child protagonist's calendar when the answer from his parents is always yes, no matter the request. “Can I have pizza for breakfast? “ “Yes!” “Can we invent our own game?” “Yes!” Even “Can we have a food fight?” “Yes!”

Hanna’s Comments: Part of the fun of reading this book is imagining what your requests might be if you could experience your own Yes Day. I especially enjoy how this book celebrates some of life’s small, simple pleasures as well as some quirky requests too. There is so much potential here for creative conversation and wacky wishing. Follow this with a conversation on prayers of petition.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Harper Collins, 2009

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 40

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: Tablet

PBT Category: Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, blessings, celebration/party, gladness/happiness, gospel/good news, heaven, joy, jubilee, prayer

Scripture Connections: Psalms of praise; Seek and you shall find (Matthew 7:7 or Luke 11:9)

Idea(s) for Application: This would be a great book to begin a lesson about what would happen if God always answered our prayers with a “Yes.” 

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 49

Dynamic Duo: Book 2

Picture Book: Miss Rumphius

Author & Illustrator: Barbara Cooney

Summary: Since she was a young girl Miss Rumphius, aka the Lupine Lady, has been inspired by the way her grandfather traveled the world, lived by the sea, and made the world more beautiful. For Miss Rumphius, the latter is lived out as she scatters countless lupine seeds.

Hanna’s Comments: This book is a Dynamic Duo partner with The Gardener, the previous PBT offering. These 2 books are both about lovingly spreading beauty and joy with flowers. The lupine blooms along the Maine coast today are the legacy of a real Miss Rumphius who scattered the seeds everywhere she went. The concept of “legacy” would be a wonderful idea to explore when reading this book to your audience. 

Publisher & Date of Publication: Puffin, 1982 

Age and Grade Appropriateness: 5 and up, K and up 

# of Pages: 32 

Available in Spanish? Yes 

Formats other than Book: Audio cassette, Audible, video on Youtube

PBT Category: Award Winner (American Book Award), Pre 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, action, adventure, aging, ancestors/patriarchs & matriarchs, beauty, blessings, call/calling/vocation, challenges, covenant/promises, diversity, dreams/aspirations, eggs/seeds, exploration, flowers/leaves/trees, gardening/planting/pruning/sowing, generosity/giving/offering/stewardship, gifts/giftedness/talents, gladness/happiness, goodness, gospel/good news, grandparents, growing up/growth, heritage, heroes, home, image of God, journeys/pilgrimages/migration/quests, joy, life, mission, neighborhood, power, purpose, satisfaction, sharing, surprise, time/timing/over time, transformation, travel

Scripture Connections: Parable of the mustard seed (Luke 13:18-19) and other seed parables, whoever sows bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Idea(s) for Application: use in a program on legacies for those in a faith community who are retired

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 48

Dynamic Duo: Day 1

Picture Book: The Gardener

Author: Sarah Stewart

Illustrator: David Small

Summary: Because of her family’s poverty during the Great Depression, Lydia Grace Finch is off to the dull city to stay with her uncle, a baker who never smiles. With her she brings her passion, flower seeds. Through her gardening, Lydia’s new friends and city are transformed, gradually brightening the bake shop, then her secret place, the roof top. The text is a series of letters emphasizing the bonds that Lydia Grace still has with her parents and grandmother.

Hanna’s Comments: This book, like its Dynamic Duo partner offered tomorrow, Miss Rumphius, is all about spreading joy with flowers. Leaving marks of beauty and love in concrete ways and with a spirit of generosity & vocation that is transformational is the powerful theme here. Also highlighted is a generational legacy that Lydia Grace’s grandmother has instilled in her. This legacy is a love of gardening which can serve as a discussion tool for exploring possible legacies that are left to next generations.  

Publisher & Date of Publication: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1997 

Age and Grade Appropriateness: 5 and up, K and up 

# of Pages: 40 

Available in Spanish? Not at present 

Formats other than Book: Audio cassette, video on Youtube & for purchase with 2 more of this author/illustrator duo's other books
 

PBT Category: Award Winner (Caldecott Honor), Pre 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, action, ancestors/patriarchs & matriarchs, beauty, blessings, call/calling/vocation, challenges, eggs/seeds, flowers/leaves/trees, gardening/planting/pruning/sowing, generosity/giving/offering/stewardship, gifts/giftedness/talents, gladness/happiness, goodness, gospel/good news, grandparents, heritage, home, image of God, journeys/pilgrimages/migration/quests, joy, life, mission, neighborhood, power, purpose, satisfaction, sharing, surprise, transformation

Scripture Connections: Parable of the mustard seed (Luke 13:18-19), whoever sows bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Idea(s) for Application: give to inspire clergy & lay persons in their ministries as they “plant” and “sew” beauty

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 42

Picture Book: Extra Yarn

Author: Mac Barnett

Illustrator: Jon Klassen

Summary: In a colorless world, Annabelle finds a box filled with multi-colored yarn and begins knitting for herself and others. Miraculously, the yarn never runs out. As Annabelle brushes against criticism for her knitted pieces, she knits for the one who is criticizing and all are converted to the beauty and transformational nature of her work. When a rich archduke wants to purchase the extraordinary yarn and Annabelle refuses, he steals the box. Once in his castle, he opens the box to find it empty. Angrily he throws the box out into the ocean where it floats back to Annabelle so that she can continue her knitting. 

Hanna’s Comments: This metaphor of how a young girl’s loving creativity can transform a community is beautifully intriguing. I especially like the way the illustrator shows a piece of yarn attaching each character to another, demonstrating the loving bonds Annabelle is creating with her generosity. 

Publisher & Date of Publication: Balzer + Bray, 2012 

Age and Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up 

# of Pages: 40 

Available in Spanish? Yes

Formats other than Book: several amateur videos are on Youtube

PBT Category: Award Winner (Caldecott Honor), Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abilities, abundance/bounty, abuse/abuse of power, action, beauty, blessings, call/calling/vocation, caring/tending, commitment, community, consumerism/consumption/riches, coveting/envy/jealousy, creativity/imagination/ingenuity, fruit/fruit of the spirit, generosity/giving/offering/stewardship, gifts/giftedness/talents, gladness/happiness, gospel/good news, greed/selfishness, healing/healthcare, helping, individuality/uniqueness, joy, kindness, love, manna, miracles, mission, mystery, neighbors, neighborhood, outreach, purpose, sharing, transformation, wisdom

Scripture Connections: Jesus’ healing power, Dorcas’/Tabitha’s good works (Acts 9:36-42), Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12) & particularly Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

Idea(s) for Application: This book offers a beautiful metaphor for spreading love with your giftedness. Share with a group doing sewing or prayer shawl ministries or use in any lesson on the transformational & healing power of generosity and good works for others.

A Picture Book for a Day for a Year: Day 8

Picture Book: This Little Light of Mine

Illustrator: E.B. Lewis

Summary: This beautifully illustrated version of the African-American spiritual has a young boy looking in the mirror and then interacting with neighbors in delightful and helpful ways including offering comfort to a boy who is upset and then inviting him to play basketball.

Hanna’s Comments: There are several other books of this song, some with an audio component, some combined with other songs. I found a board book version that I like for young children by Mcnicholas. For children 4 and up, I especially like these illustrations. The score is in the back.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005

Age and Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Preschool and up

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: Song Book

PBT Topics this Book connects with: abilities, action, adoration, authenticity, bravery/courage, choir/music/singing/songs, communication, community, confidence, darkness/evening/night, emotions/feelings, encouragement, generosity/giving/offering/stewardship, gifts/giftedness/talents, gladness/happiness, goodness, gospel/good news, helping, hospitality, image of God, intercession, joy, kindness, kingdom of god, leadership/servant leadership, light/morning, neighbors, neighborhood, openness, outreach, participation, passion, pleasing God/the Shema, power, presence, reflection (self), response to God, righteousness, risking, satisfaction, social justice

Scripture Connections: the Lord is my light & my salvation (Psalm 27:1), a lamp under a jar (Luke 8:16), a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14-16)

Idea(s) for Application: a children’s music class