36 Books Like Lester's Dreadful Sweaters

Extra Yarn is one of my very favourite books. It is the story about what you might do if you found a little bit of extra yarn. This yarn (in both senses of the word!) is inclusive, unexpected, as well as completely fantastic. 

The text of the story is subtle and leaves a lot of the story to be told through the illustrations and I am a huge fan of Jon Klassen’s illustrations. In this book, his beautiful, colourful wool really works to offset the darkness of the cold winter landscape.

This is simply a visually delightful and clever story with lots for kids and adults to enjoy.

As someone who came to knitting later in life, I really appreciate this comprehensive guide for younger knitters.

The book includes an illustrated vocabulary list of the basic tools, information on where to go for help if there is no one to ask directly ( I find that very helpful!) and a guide for buying wool online.

There are also several basic projects to get started with and even a washing guide! Perfect.

The Story Blanket is about what you might do if there wasn’t enough yarn. 

Babba Zarrah loves to tell stories to the village children who all sit on her story blanket to listen. As the winter goes on and a need for warm clothes becomes greater, Babba Zarrah’s blanket begins to get smaller.

The solution to the disappearing story blanket completes the cycle of generosity within the village.

The story, a modern folk tale, is simple and beautiful. The illustrations, by Elena Odriozola, are gorgeous and original and bring an added imaginative dimension to the book.

I used to play lots of string games as a kid. I realized as my kids were growing up, that kids don’t know these games anymore and I wanted to find something that would teach them at least a few that I remembered from my childhood.

I loved this book because it shows, with simple diagrams, some of the basic string games like Cat’s Cradle and it also includes string to get started with.

Not only that, there is a little history of string games for those who might want to know how they all started.

Though I'd seen this book advertised, it took a recommendation from a Slovenian to make me read it. And I'm glad I did. Blake, a Canadian author who's lived in Slovenia for many years, has done an excellent job documenting what makes Slovenians–Slovene. 

It's an informative and frequently funny look at the country and its people. I found myself chuckling at many of the behaviors Blake notes that I had personally experienced myself.

With its undercurrent of dry humor and its overview of the people, this is a must-have book for anyone interested in understanding Slovenians.

My son’s first-grade teacher used this book to help him learn about his “hula-hoop” of personal space, and she recommended we read it at home (which we did.) This book was a fun way to explore the meaning of giving space to our friends (such as keeping hands to ourselves), and the outer-space theme cleverly woven throughout helped keep my son’s attention.

I really appreciated the author’s unique approach to teaching young kids about personal space, which can be touchy (pun intended!).

Mr. Tiger wanted to be wild. He didn't like wearing shirts and top hats.

With his bravery, he decided to go wild and run without clothing. The town didn't know what to think, but after seeing Mr. Tiger being so free, they decided to give it a try. And things started to change and the town became more inclusive.

When we are free to be ourselves, others will see that and build empathy and question, how would that make me feel?

This tale is one long, rousty chant. “Big Black Bear came out of the woods. Stuck his nose in the air and smelled something good!” Just keep that chanting going as Big Black Bear threatens Little Girl and creates havoc in her house, then is caught by Momma Bear and made to apologize. “I’m very sorry, please excuse me. I’m a little black bear, who just turned three.”  

If you are a parent on the search for children’s books, I’m sure you have already come across Jory John’s and Pete Oswald’s Food Group Series. I can’t help but to include The Sour Grape, the newest edition to the series, in this list. Their entire series has been so well written and illustrated, turning common colloquialisms into clever characters and illustrations. The Sour Grape is a beautiful message on empathy and compassion, and why it is important to see things from other people’s perspectives. If you have a little one that's always holding a grudge or thinks the world is out to get them, then this one is a must-have!

This is one of my favorite children’s books until today. It’s wonderfully illustrated and it teaches good manners in a fun way. I like how Brother Bear and Sister Bear pretended to observe good manners in compliance with Mama Bear’s Politeness Plan but as time passed, they eventually ended up practicing good manners out of habit. I also like that the book showed that not even the grown-ups (such as Papa Bear) are exempted from the house rules.