Northern Lights Books Awards
The Growing Sweater
Winner of the Humor Category
Author: Jason J. Marchi
Illustrator: Ben Quesnel
Fahrenheit Books
Have you ever washed a sweater only to have it shrink? Having something shrink is pretty common, but have you ever taken something out of the dryer, and it was larger than when you put it in? Well that very thing happened to the author’s mother!
Growing up, Jason J. Marchi was intrigued that the sweater his mother had knitted for his father grew after she washed it. The family story stayed with him until, after a lot of writing and rewriting, The Growing Sweater was born. And it’s easy to see why this fanciful and captivating book has won more than 14 awards since its publication in 2014.
It all starts out when Granny knits a sweater for her youngest granddaughter, Ashley. After a while it gets dirty and needs to be washed. Ashley, her older sister, Morgan, and Granny are in disbelief when it comes out of the dryer larger than when it went in. Although Ashley doesn’t want to part with it, the sweater no longer fits her, and so it goes to Morgan.
Soon the sweater needs to be washed again and it comes out even larger than before! Now it’s too big for Morgan. At first the sweater stays within the family but once it becomes too large for Poppy, Ashely must find a new home for it. This sets into motion a hilarious chain reaction that leads the family all over town, trying to find a place for the ever-growing sweater.
By handing down (or is it up in this case?) her beloved sweater, Ashley learns that generosity has a way of finding its way back to you.
Just as the original sweater story stayed with Jason, The Growing Sweater is sure to become a family favorite.
You can view the full list of Northern Lights Book Award winners here: http://northerndawnawards.com/2019-northern-lights-book-awards-winners/
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