The Knitting of Elizabeth Amelia
Kindergarten-Grade 2—Elizabeth Amelia is made of wool, but she is every child. She romps and plays and goes to school. Everyone loves her. When she grows up, she marries James Elmer, a man who "loved wool." They don't have any children, so Elizabeth Amelia takes a stray piece of yarn unraveling from her left foot and starts knitting them. Soon she has four. She keeps unraveling pieces of herself to make clothes and things for her offspring. When she has knitted most of herself away, her husband says, "Elizabeth Amelia….You're nothing but a pillow!'' One of the children then finds a ball of yarn the same color as her mother and saves the day. Elizabeth Amelia soon re-knits all of herself and the family dances together again. The delightful watercolor illustrations resemble folk art, and are detailed and colorful. All of the faces are two-toned, with a line going down the center. Still, seeing Elizabeth's legs disappear and then reappear is just plain creepy. Kids will get a mixed message from this one.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MIEND