Aunty Jane Knits Up a Storm
Steve Wolfson
North Street Book Prize 2023 (view all the winners)
First Prize, Children's Picture Book
Critique by Jendi Reiter
A creative metaphor for grief becomes literal in Aunty Jane Knits Up a Storm, a dynamic and effective picture book by Steve Wolfson, with illustrations by Charity Russell.
Aunty Jane, a middle-aged Black woman with a vibrant bohemian sense of style, is well-known in her town for her knitted creations. Two neighbor kids, Naomi and Xavier, provide a child's perspective on why she is so beloved. But when her husband, Uncle Wally, becomes ill and dies, she channels her emotions into knitting so furiously that she creates a literal thunderstorm with woolly gray clouds and violent lightning. It's up to the townspeople to bring her energy back into balance, which they do by reminding her of all the joy that she and Wally brought them. The wheel of life makes another turn when Jane fills the empty place in her home by teaching the kids to knit.
Contest judge Ellen LaFleche, author of the widowhood-themed poetry collection Walking into Lightning (Saddle Road Press), praised how well this book handled a challenging topic: "The art is gentle and Aunty Jane is such a pretty older woman. This feels so refreshing and I love the author's respectful tone. Wolfson also nails the concept that it helps to alleviate grief if you have a 'container' for it. The container could be art, writing, social justice work, expanding friend networks, exercise, children or grandchildren, or maybe knitting!"
Ellen added, "I love that the hero of the story is an older woman. Although knitting is a traditional female domain, she takes it to a deeper, mythical level. She's a healer with needles and yarn, like someone in a fairy tale!"
The font was not especially pretty, though its wide spacing made it easier on the eyes. There were some instances of white font on dark background illustrations, which we advise against for legibility. Page numbers were inexplicably omitted, an odd trend that we have seen in other picture books and graphic entries. In books for early readers, which might be used in classrooms where a whole group has to follow along, page numbers are useful organizational tools. A couple of words, particularly "toques", might be too advanced for the age group.
Ellen summed it up best: "I asked myself the essential question: will this book help kids to understand death and grief? I think it definitely will because of the gentle way they presented the death, and the magical-realism of the knitting, which fits the emotional and cognitive world of little kids. I think it was brilliantly handled."
Read an excerpt from Aunty Jane Knits Up a Storm (PDF)
Buy this book from FriesenPress and Amazon
