Thread by Thread is a beautifully illustrated book. The text, however, is a complex metaphor. I think this was written for an adult audience (or at least not for young children) because I don't think children would understand the metaphor. I could see this being used with a middle school or high school class, but not for younger children. It also relies on the background knowledge of knitting, which should be obvious given the description. If you don't have at least some knowledge, the text might not make sense.

A gorgeously illustrated children's-book about losing ones home and having to endure hardship until finding help, hope, and finally a home.

Told in a way all children will understand [and is a way to foster empathy], this will be an important book for children [and their adults] as more and more are being displaced.

Very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Briere-Haquet, Michaela Eccli - Illustrator, Susan Ardizzone - Translator, and Wm. B Eerdman's Publishing Company/Eerdman's Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fine collab between author and artist, as the text conveys the refugee's plight through the language of knitting, and the visuals do the same, making great use of wool, knitting needles and the direction different threads can be found to go in. It's not all wool, as there are drawn elements to things too, but this is much more inventive and surprising than the standard book with such a message to convey. If truth be told, talk of 'purling' is probably over the heads of many intended readers, but at the same time this should be congratulated for not talking down about the topic, and this is an artistic success whoever is looking at it. A strong four stars.

This book seems like more of an extended metaphor than a story, but well done as that, with clever illustrations.

'Thread by Thread' is an inspiring book about resiliency. An entire family of mice watches as their home slowly unravels. Through thorny ground, across raging waters, and past a fire breathing dragon, they retreat. As they travel, they forage for yarn to build a new home. Their home is rebuilt knitted one by one, purled one by one with the help of many animal friends. The family ends up with a beautiful, colorful home and many new friends.

This is a Children's Book I read to my twin boys. I found this book super fun and cute, and I loved that there were knitting words mixed into the book. My boys also enjoyed this book. I found the pictures to be super cute. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early look at a translated text. I loved the poetry of the writing and the art. It was a beautiful ode to thread and life. Would love to use it in the middle grade classroom to introduce the interconnectivity of humans.

Thread by Thread is a fairly simple, short picture book about the experience of a little family of mice involuntarily losing their family home, being forced to quickly uproot, escape, and land in a new place. As someone who knits, I was drawn to the cover illustration which combines actual images of knitting & yarn, with hand drawn illustrations of the little critters.

I love the way the illustrations elevate the narration, picturing things beyond the words in a lovely way that helps the reader understand the story. For example, nothing in the text speaks about a little family of mice, but the illustrations take the narration and show it through the lens of this little animal family. The imagery also heightens the text’s subtle allusion to community, as seen near the end of the book.

The book is an English translation, presumably from the original French. The way the words were formatted through the book, felt a bit like reading a poem (non-rhyming). Some pages seemed to have a bit of rhythm in the way things were phrased, but then the next page wouldn’t at all, which may be intentional, reflecting the refugee experience, though could also be due to the challenges of translation. I’d be curious to read this in the original French to see how it compares. Either way, I wasn’t too bothered by it, and I did like the book as a whole.

I appreciated the use of knitting and yarn, unraveling and re-stitching, to help the reader conceptualize the refugee experience from a different angle. I do not work with children (the target audience), but I can definitely imagine this book being a great bridge to help communicate these ideas in a creative and accessible way.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to an advance digital copy of this book, given in exchange for an honest review. (I read this picture book on a tablet, so I cannot comment on the physicality or experience of reading the hardcover.)

I loved how this picture book utilizes yarn and pictures of real knitting alongside pencil illustrations to bring the heartfelt story of a little mouse refugee family to life. Beautiful and moving.

What a great way to tell the story of refugees! I love the illustrations and the thread throughout. I really wish the book should have been about "mouse" instead of first person, I think that would make it more interesting for children.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!

This is a very sweet story about migration-- leaving one's home and creating a new home in a new place. I love the illustrations-- the combination of drawings and use of the threads. This book could be used at different ages-- a read aloud of younger kids, but also it could be used in an upper elementary grade immigration unit when talking about push and pull factors.

The plot and writing were not that interesting, but the illustrations were cool! I loved the use of thread throughout the story.

Was passiert, wenn das Zuhause plötzlich nicht mehr Zuhause sein kann? Es zerstört wird, keinen Schutz mehr birgt.

In „Thread by Thread“ wird das mit der Analogie der gestrickten Masche erzählt. Richtig in Schlaufen gelegt wird ein einzelner Faden schnell zu einer wärmenden Fläche. Doch ebenso schnell kann diese wieder aufgelöst werden. Ein unachtsames Ziehen am losen Faden und die Maschen lösen sich eine nach der anderen wieder auf.

„Knit one, purl one. Oh no - there goes another stitch. Sometimes things can begin to unreval…”

Und so muss die Mausfamilie aus dem Haus fliehen, das sich Masche für Masche (Masche, engl. stitch) auflöst, und sich einen Zufluchtsort suchen.

Mit den letzten gestrickten Maschen lassen sie sich zu Wasser. Ein Boot. Auf wilden Wellen.

Und nach dem Ankommen, Schritt für Schritt, Masche um Masche und Reihe um Reihe wird sich mit viel kraft und Hoffnung wieder ein neues Zuhause aufgebaut.

Ein sehr poetisches Buch über Flucht (ohne den Grund für die Flucht zu benennen).

I thought that this book was really important to be read taking in to account what is happening in the world today. It was tastefully done and I really liked the way that knitting was used to tell the story.

It was well written, it was easy to read and understand and the illustrations worked so well with the story and they brought the book to life.

The illustrations were nice, bright and engaging and I read the book with my daughter who really enjoyed it and I think that this should be an addition to the classroom of any Primary School.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

Beautiful and unique artwork, with a simple but powerful story about finding a home. A gorgeous book in visuals and message.

Using knitting to tell the story of refugees is unique. The artwork is colorful and engaging, and I think children will find it visually appealing. There are opportunities to have students look closely at the illustrations for clues that extend the narrative. I'm always on the lookout for books about the refugee experience that won't be too difficult, or painful, for my students to relate to.

This was really sweet! I always love the use of mixed mediums in illustrations, and the knitting in this was gorgeous. I love the message of finding sanctuary through community and art. I think the book could've been a little longer, but I enjoyed the very simple plot. I could see a kid expecting more out of it, though. Very unique!

Part of this book is not in English, so I cannot comment on that. The book is otherwise very short, and I wasn't sure I understood the message in the book for children.

This picture book is about a very difficult topic but as you read you do not feel sad, you feel hope. I can imagine that it would hold deep meaning to the refugee children and adults a like.

The illustrations are really what caught me with this book. The incorporation of the different mediums added depth to the imagery of the story.
This picture book is an important addition for public, school and personal libraries alike for families and children to explore.

Thank you Net Galley, Alice Briere-Haquet and Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co. for the opportunity to preview this title and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thread by Thread is expected to be released Feb. 18, 2025.

A beautiful story that is so important for today.

I love the way that this was illustrated! I think it was so clever to have the illustrations interact with the yarn. This book is also translated that adds even more to this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!