How To Knit A Monster

By Annemarie Van Haeringen
Published August 7, 2018

Why we chose this book:
T is super into monsters, and the synopsis sounded like the protagonist engaged in creative problem solving. I thought this was a good fit, so requested a review copy, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provided one.

Mom's Review

Greta Goat is inattentive while knitting and inadvertently creates a wolf that gobbles up an unkind visitor, Mrs. Sheep. She knits increasingly ferocious creatures until she has a monster, which she keeps on her needles so that she can unravel it after it eats the last fearsome creation. Mrs. Sheep is freed and repentant of her treatment of Greta.

I have mixed feelings about this book because it was not quite what I expected. I like the premise of having to knit a monster to protect yourself from your other monstrous knitting mistakes. I like how Greta Goat thinks on the fly and works toward a solution to her problem; at first she makes the problem worse, but eventually fixes things. Perseverance and resourcefulness are admirable traits, and it's good for kids to see that success doesn't always happen with the first attempt. I also like that Greta's knitting takes on a life of its own, as sometimes it feels like projects do. The art is cute, and I like the different knitting details I notice each time I read it to T. All these things sound great, and they are.

The two things that I didn't like were how scary the monster looks and how mean the visitor is. T likes spooky things, as I may have mentioned once or twice...But this monster scared him. On the cover the monster looks kinda cute, but inside it does look creepy with its empty white eyes and terrible expression. If you are reading to someone who isn't three years old, then you would probably be fine, but if you have a young one, I want to give you a heads up. This is minor, as it is a matter of perception. The visitor, however, is labeled as "mean Mrs. Sheep, " and she comes to Greta's home solely to castigate Greta for her knitting abilities. Why is she so mean? And then Mrs. Sheep apologizes and praises Greta's knitting in superlative terms after being eaten by the wolf Greta knit. This doesn't seem to me to be a very good example of reconciliation: one person verbally attacks another, is submitted to a terrifying experience from which she luckily escapes with her life, and then praises her earlier victim to the moon. What lesson is the reader supposed to take away from this?

Son's Review
(Age: 3 and 1/2 years)
Before reading:
Mom: What do you want to read?

Son: I choose How to Knit a Monster.

Mom: Why do you choose this one right now?

Son, playing with a little vampire, a witch, and a black cat: Because those are all Halloween stuff.

After reading:
Mom: Do you like Mrs. Sheep? Why not? How is she mean?

Son: No. Because she is mean. She used mean words.

Mom: And how did that make Greta feel?

Son: Annoyed.

Mom: Do you think Greta's feelings were hurt?

Son: Yeah. Why do you think she wasn't watching her knitting?

Mom: I think she was so upset that she was only thinking about her feelings and not her knitting. Do you get upset sometimes?

Son: Yeah. When it's bedtime.

Mom: And is it hard to think about other things? What do you do?

Son: Yeah. I calm my feelings.

Mom: How do you calm your feelings?

Son: So I just walk away from the person who is aggravating me. And then I say, "Why were you aggravating me?"

Mom: Taking time to calm down and then talking out your feelings are healthy ways to deal with upsetness. Those are good things to do. What would you tell Greta?

Son: I would say, "Maybe you could walk away from the person who is being mean."

Mom: And what would you tell Mrs. Sheep?

Son: I would tell her,  "Don't be mean to Greta. Be friendly." That's what I would say to mean Mrs. Sheep.
_______________________________________
Mom: What did this book make you feel?

Son: Kinda angry that the Mrs. Sheep made Greta feel sad.

Mom: And what do you learn from this book?

Son: That you shouldn't make people feel sad.

Mom: And did you learn anything about solving problems?

Son: Yeah. To express your feelings.

Mom: And when is it a good time to read this book? Why?

Son: When I'm feeling mad. To teach me how to solve my mad feelings.

Mom: How will it help you to solve your mad feelings?

Son: I don't know.
(Me neither, to be honest.)

Mom: And who might like this book?

Son: My friend, G. I mean my cousin.

Mom: And what's the most important thing to know about this book?

Son: That it's a great book.