Knitting Nell

Roth, Julie Jersild. Knitting Nell. Illustrated by Julie Jersild Roth. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. ISBN 139780618540334. $16.00. Ages 5-8.

This is a moving story about a young girl struggling to fit in at her school. After she wins an award at the local fair, she finally feels acceptance by teaching her peers her own passion in life, knitting. The water-color illustrations seem to be simple, but as the book progresses, the vibrant colors and interesting placement of pictures, entices the reader to follow the pictures and storyline. Roth places the words of the story strategically throughout the book to keep the reader interested. At the same time, she uses an assortment of page layouts to make the illustrations appealing. The words, placed below, above, and around the pictures, are appropriate for elementary students, as well as interesting to read because of the placement of the sentences. Roth’s style and approach to children’s literature is warm and welcoming to children of all ages. The pictures, as well as the storyline, are imaginative, expressive, and just right for children who are struggling with the same problems as the characters in the story.

Jessica Krouse, BGSU student