LEAVE ME ALONE!

Knitters will find their niches and click their needles—wherever.

An old woman is sitting on her rocking chair with many balls of yarn at her feet. Cold weather is approaching, and sweaters must be knit for her many children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, those young ones are enchanted with those balls of yarn as playthings. They skip rope, play ball, and leave the old woman quite exasperated. She cleans house, packs her bags, and leaves her small Russian village shouting “Leave me alone!” Alas, she discovers that the woods are not the ideal spot for knitting, and neither are the mountains or even the moon. Finally, she discovers the perfect place for her knits and purls, finally returning home and happily outfitting the many little ones. A crowded house, bears in the forest, goats on the mountain, and little green ETs on the moon all lead to an unexpectedly scientific—or perhaps science-fiction—conclusion. Brosgol’s folkloric tale is full of humor and repetition, making it a good choice to read aloud. Her colorfully animated figures, all white except for those ETs on the moon, stand out against the white pages. This contrasts well with her eventual place of seclusion (spoiler alert: a wormhole), where the figures are outlined in white against a black background.

Understatedly funny, just like the Eastern European folk tales on whose shoulders it stands.