First a Little Story…
The year before my youngest daughter started kindergarten, we decided to take on the “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” Challenge. We didn’t officially signup or anything like that, but we took it on as a personal goal. I set a few loose rules to aim towards. First, I wanted to track it on paper. Second, I didn’t want to repeat many books unless she wanted to read them again. Third, I didn’t want to buy many books because we already had a good-sized collection. So, with our library card in hand and a 50 book at a time limit, we went to the library. At that time, we were going to the Newport Beach Library. The children’s section is large and well stocked. Each time we visited the library we dropped off and picked up a huge stack of picture books.
As you can imagine, getting through 1000 books is a LOT of books. We read an average of 2-3 each day. Now these are predominantly picture books, so it doesn’t take very much time to read 2 or 3 of them. I would also have a longer chapter book for read aloud time as well. For example, Charlotte’s Web, Little House in the Big Woods, All-of-a-Kind Family, Betsy-Tacy, etc. As you begin gathering stacks of books it is easy to go for popular books and books you remember reading as a child, but you’ll get through those quickly. The next feat is selecting books that are new and unknown to you. Some weeks you are in the mood to browse and discover books that look appealing. Other weeks you may just want a… booklist.
A booklist points you straight where you need to go. No wandering. We are in and out of the library and on our way to get groceries. Even better, you put all the books on the list on hold and you only have to walk up to the hold section to pick up the stack. What a breeze when you have another baby on your hip (speaking from personal experience). There are tons of wonderful booklists out there… seasons, holidays, themes, classics, topics, etc. They are easy to find and readily available. The library will most likely even have lists posted. But there is a list that I didn’t have and I wish that I had. A booklist full of crafty books. Books about sewing, quilting, knitting, yarn, and the like. Of course, we stumbled upon some, but I didn’t have the handy-dandy list in my hand. Well, if you are like me and want this type of booklist look no farther. It is right here waiting for you! I hope you and you little ones love it. I have read all of these books to my older daughters (7&10) who now know how to sew and knit. They approve of them all too. Without further ado… Here is your free printable booklist (31 books alphabetized by topic).
Crafty Picture Books for Children (That Mom & Dad Will Love Too!)
Sewing
Crafty Chloe
By Kelly DiPucchio – Illustrated by Heather Ross
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2012 – Ages: 3-7+
Chloe uses her crafty talents to make a birthday gift for her friend. After she spends hours gluing, painting and sewing, what will Emma think?
P.S. Chloe makes a costume in Dress-Up Mess-Up.
The Spacesuit
By Alison Donald – Illustrated by Ariel Landy
Pages: 36 – Publication: 2019 – Ages: 4-9+
How a seamstress helped put a man on the moon.
Archie
By Domenica More Gordon
Pages: 48 – Publication: 2012 – Ages: 2-6+
*Almost wordless.* Great Aunt Betty sends a big box with a sewing machine in it. This brings about a fashionable change to the neighborhood.
Mr. Frank
Written & Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2014 – Ages: 4-7+
A sentimental story about a tailor of many decades making his most important garment of his career.
Coat of Many Colors
By Dolly Parton – Illustrated by Brooke Boynton-Hughes
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2016 – Ages: 2-7+
“Although we had no money, I was rich as I could be, in my coat of many colors my mama made for me.”
Bun Bun Button
By Patricia Polacco
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2011 – Ages: 3-8+
This story is filled to the brim with love. A grandmother makes a precious lovey for her granddaughter to cuddle with. Bun Bun gets carried away on a balloon and has a wild journey through the sky before finding its way back home.
A New Coat for Anna
By Harriet Ziefert – Illustrated by Anita Lobel
Pages: 40 – Publication: 1988 – Ages: 3-8
The ultimate lesson about how a coat is made, the people who make it, and a loving, creative mother.
Quilting
The Quiltmaker’s Gift
By Jeff Brumbeau – Illustrated by Gail de Marcken
Pages: 48 – Publication: 2001 – Ages: 3-8+
A heartwarming folktale with the most incredible illustrations. Seriously, be careful you don’t fall right into the book.
Luka’s Quilt
Written & Illustrated by Georgia Guback
Pages: 32 – Publication: 1994 – Ages: 4-8+
Luka’s grandmother, Tutu, makes a beautiful, traditional Hawaiian quilt for her, but it isn’t what she expected.
The Rag Coat
Written & Illustrated by Lauren Mills
Pages: 32 – Publication: 1991 – Ages: 4-8+
Minna needs a coat in order to go to school, so the quilting mothers work together to make her coat that is both a warm hug from Papa and countless stories.
The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt
By Riel Nason – Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler
Pages: 48 – Publication: 2020 – Ages: 3-7+
A Halloween story of a ghost who is a quilt. His friends are sheets and while they zip around light and airy, he is awkward and heavy. But being a quilt makes for quite an adventure.
The Keeping Quilt
By Patricia Polacco
Pages: 32 – Publication: 1998 – Ages: 3-10+
A homemade quilt ties together the lives of six generations of the author’s immigrant Jewish family, remaining a symbol of their enduring love and faith.
Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth
By Joan Schoettler – Illustrated by Jessica Lanan
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2011 – Ages: 5-8+
Ji-su realizes her only way to be reunited with her mother is to become as talented of a seamstress and be chosen to sew for the Korean king.
Knitting
Extra Yarn
By Mac Barnett
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2012 – Ages: 3-7+
A girl and a box of magical yarn transform a community and attracts the attention of a greedy archduke.
Leave Me Alone!
By Vera Brosgol
Pages: 45 – Publication: 2016 – Ages: 2-5+
One day, a grandmother shouts, “LEAVE ME ALONE!” and leaves her tiny home and her very big family to journey to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting.
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters
Written & Illustrated by K. G. Campbell
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2012 – Ages: 4-8+
clickety-click, clickety-click… Cousin Clara is a speedy knitter and Lester is the recipient. What will he do with all of these wacky sweaters?
Knit Together
By Angela Dominguez
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2015 – Ages: 3-5+
A little girl who loves to draw but can’t knit, and her mom, who loves to knit but can’t draw, work together on a very special project.
A Hat for Mrs. Goldman
By Michelle Edwards & Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2016 – Ages: 4-8+
“‘Keeping keppies warm is our mitzvah,’ says Mrs. Goldman, kissing the top of Sophia’s head. ‘This is your keppie, and a mitzvah is a good deed.'” -Quote from the book. There is a knitting pattern at the end of the book too!
Knitty Kitty
By David Elliott – Illustrated by Christopher Denise
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2008 – Ages: 4-8+
Clickety-Click. Tickety-tick. Knitty Kitty sits and knits. What is she knitting? Something to keep three kittens cozy and toasty and comfy, of course.
Cat Knit
By Jacob Grant
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2016 – Ages: 4-7+
A hilarious story of a friendship between Cat and Yarn… and what happens when Girl takes Yarn away. My kids giggled as I read this one.
How to Knit a Monster
By Annemarie von Haeringen
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2018 – Ages: 4-7+
Greta the goat is a very, very good knitter, but when she isn’t watching her knitting, she knits something dangerous. Uh-oh!
Unraveled
By Leanne Hatch
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2021 – Ages: 3-6+
A completely beautiful story of a boy and his knit baby blanket. The baby blanket gets unraveled and Cole’s mom knows just how to fix it.
The Magic Ball of Wool
Written by Susanna Isern & Illustrations by Nora Hilb
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2013 – Ages: 4-8+
Spider, an experienced knitter, teaches Hedgehog how to knit after a ball of wool mysteriously gets stuck in Hedgehogs quills. It magically helps friends and strangers near and far.
Mistletoe: A Christmas Story
By Tad Hills
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2020 – Ages: 3-7+
Mistletoe loves the snow and Norwell doesn’t like the cold. Mistletoe has an idea to make her friend the perfect Christmas gift to help. She gets to work knitting.
Ned the Knitting Pirate
By Diana Murray – Illustrated by Leslie Lammle
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2016 – Ages: 6-9+
The crew of the pirate ship the Rusty Heap are a fearsome bunch! They’re tougher than gristle and barnacle grit. They heave and they ho and they swab and they . . . knit?
Miss Mary’s Christmas Mittens
By Trinka Hakes Noble – Illustrated by Renee Andriana
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2022 – Ages: 4-7+
The store ran out of yarn! Oh dear, where can Miss Mary find the yarn to knit mittens for her students?
Imagine a Wolf
By Lucky Platt
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2021 – Ages: 4-8+
What do you see when you imagine a wolf? Sharp, pointy teeth? Big, hungry eyes? A soft sweater and a friendly smile?
Wait a minute!
Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn
By Cynthia Rylant & Illustrated by Arthur Howard
Pages: 44 – Publication: 2007 – Ages: 6-9+
Good neighbors, a knitting club, and a rambunctious cat and dog… what could go wrong?
If You Want to Knit Some Mittens
By Laura Purdie Salas – Illustrated by Angela Matteson
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2021 – Ages: 4-8+
In this playful story, a girl follows 18 steps to knit mittens–from bringing home a sheep to carding, spinning, and dyeing the wool to knitting the mittens.
A Bumblebee Sweater
By Betty Waterton – Illustrated by Kim LaFave
Pages: 32 – Publication: 2007 – Ages: 4-6+
Grandma Needlethorpe knits a sweater for her granddaughter Nellie’s role as a bumblebee in the upcoming spring concert. It is a bit too big, but after it gets dirty and washed what do you suppose happens?
The First Christmas Stocking
By Elizabeth Winthrop
Pages: 40 – Publication: 2006 – Ages: 5+
“Dream your dreams, my child, and knit them into the wool.” Claire became known as the stocking girl–with many orders for stockings to fill. *Contains the topic of losing a mother & poverty.
This booklist isn’t an exhaustive one. There are more crafty books out there. If you have a favorite that I haven’t listed here, leave comment so others can add those books to their list. Happy reading, crafty people!
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