Crochet Baby!

By: London Kaye

At a glance: 

Pros

• Bright and colorful
• Sturdy pages
• Illustration appeal

This book is brightly colored with thick board pages that are durable and easy to turn. Each new page has a playful, crochet-related illustration. It uses a crochet chain as a foundation to build on, and then quickly trades instruction for imagination.

London Kaye will take your child on a gentle tour through yarn and hook, and the possibilities unlocked by both. Don't worry about difficult schematics and drawings. These illustrations are joyful and colorful. The slip knot and chain stitch are casually introduced, before the book goes on to playfully explore all kinds of things that can be crocheted. The accompanying text is a rhyme that reads smoothly and with a pleasant cadence. Reading it aloud is a delight.

One of the best features of this book is the turning of imagination into creation. It reinforces that through practice, we can turn imagined things into something real. Some of the illustrations feature an astronaut floating amongst planets of yarn, and a bear cuddled up in a crochet blanket. These are fantastical, but pave the way to an active imagination and, eventually, to discovery and application of skill to bring an idea to life. The earlier a child learns that, the better equipped they are to explore their own creativity freely.

Whether you are a crocheter or not, this book is a whimsical journey for your child to take, and could open up a pathway for them to explore an age-old artform and join a supportive and loving community.

Book reviewer: Celeste Ramirez