Stanley the Amazing Knitting Cat
Emily MacKenzie
Bloomsbury, 2016
3299., pbk., RRP $A15.99
9781408860489
Stanley LOVES to knit. He knocks up pom-poms at breakfast time, whips up bobble hats at bath time. He even knits in his sleep! And what does Stanley do with his wonderful woollies? He gives them to his friends of course – balaclavas for bunnies, neckwarmers for giraffes and much more. All of his friends sport one of his creations – even the monkeys have woolly onesies! One day Stanley sees a poster for a knitting competition inviting entrants to submit their wackiest woolly wonders. And so Stanley begins to knit…and knit…and knit! No one knows what it is he is creating but trouble strikes when he runs out of wool. Suddenly his friends find their precious gifts being unravelled as Stanley continues on his ques, leaving them cold and unhappy.
But when all is revealed on the day of the competition when amongst they knitted dragons and cakes and dinosaurs and toadstools they discover…
This is a quirky story full of colour and light and love from a Scottish author/illustrator who has combined her love of knitting and drawing. It will appeal to young readers who can let their imaginations go wild as they consider what sort of garments they might make for Stanley’s friends.