(3) K-3 Heidi, a stick insect, is "tall and long like the twig of a tree." It's her first day at Bug School, but she blends into her surroundings so well that no one notices her. Finally, one student tries to incorporate Heidi into a weaving project, and Heidi makes her presence known. Lighthearted details in the mixed-media illustrations depict a busy classroom of insects and arachnids.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS When rain wipes out spider Stanley's elaborate web and his collection of "precious things" woven into it, he's left with just a heart-shaped leaf...which is enough to inspire a new masterpiece. This story quietly champions stick-to-itiveness and finding beauty in the quotidian: in Shi's fastidious art, the web's found objects (a button, a pop-tab, etc.) are no less lovely than its natural elements.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lin Wang. This lyrical adaptation of a popular Japanese folkloric theme is enhanced by original haiku, written in the voices of the crane girl, the boy who rescues her and later becomes a crane himself (in Manley's version), and the greedy father who opens the door against the girl's wishes as she weaves. Accomplished watercolors contain historical details of Japan. Comprehensive author's notes included.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault. A woman magically weaves memories, feelings, and sensations into cloth and makes an exquisite dress. Piece by piece, she removes those vital, unique parts to satisfy a local merchant's limited vision; when the weaver's children create a beautiful quilt from the discarded pieces, everyone wants one. With soft, lovely illustrations, this folkloric-feeling original story emphasizes staying true to one's creativity. Quilting ideas are appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Renée Graef. In seventeenth-century Paris, a talented girl creates a tapestry based on a painting by her father. King Louis XIV commissions a larger version for Versailles, even though females at the king's factory aren't permitted to be weavers. This story reveals the complexity of weaving, while realistic paintings capture the period and help elucidate the artistic process. An author's note and pronunciation guide are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri. Ixchel wants to sell woven fabrics to help pay for her schooling, but there's no extra thread. After failed attempts with other materials, Ixchel discovers that she can weave using colorful plastic grocery bags discarded on the roadside. An inspiring story (with an intelligent Spanish translation) combines beautifully with bright illustrations faithful to the Guatemalan Mayan weaving traditions this book celebrates. Author's note appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Jay. A young boy can spin clouds into beautiful cloth. His mother taught him prudence--"Enough is enough and not one stitch more"--but a greedy king demands an excess of fine clothing. When the clouds run out, causing a drought, the princess helps the boy make things right. Jay's familiar crackle-varnished art strengthens Catchpool's whimsical cautionary tale of avarice.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Wong. Wild Rose runs through meadows and rivers, playing with sheep and frolicking in the wind and rain while her grandmother entreats her to learn to weave. When she finally does, she sees that Grandmother has put all of her own experiences into her weaving. Life and art become intertwined in this poetic (if purposeful) book, illustrated with gentle paintings that portray idyllic rural life.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) YA When modern-day teenager Tessa pulls a loose thread from an old tapestry, a handsome, imperious young man, Will, appears. He hails from sixteenth-century England, where a witch had trapped him in the tapestry as a unicorn so she could steal his vitality. Charismatic heroine Tessa's story is suspenseful, romantic, and very funny. In true fairy-tale fashion, there's also a happy ending.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2011

(3) 4-6 Rosalba, nine, lives in a Mayan community in rural Mexico. She worries about her group's way of life when bulldozers invade the forest and its wildlife--not to mention when she finds out that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012. Rosalba draws her strength from traditional culture in an uncertain new world throughout this thoughtful book. An author's note is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) 4-6 Golden Mountain Chronicles series. In 1835, hard-working Swallow, with her mother and sister Lily, raises silkworms. In 1881, Lily's granddaughter learns of the great-aunt (Swallow) who sold herself into slavery so her family could survive. As the story continues, each generation of women, silk workers all, sacrifices for the sake of family. It all comes together to build a coherent and affecting portrait.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old Sydelle, a gifted weaver, lands in the middle of a political and magical melee when the king dies mysteriously. A strange wizard whisks Sydelle away from her village, using her as a tool to prevent all-out war. Although the thinly written narrative leaves puzzling gaps in the story's development, its themes of romance, ingenuity, and self-discovery make for an enjoyable read.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elisa Kleven. All day, the weaver watches Earth from above, weaving what she sees into a wondrous coat full of memories; the coat "drifts down" from the nighttime sky, bringing protection to the sleeping people below. Hurd's abstract text is lyrical and dreamy. Kleven's vivid, exuberant paintings draw readers in to search for tiny images from Earth repeated in the fabric.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) 4-6 Translated by Kathryn Mahaffy. In this companion to The Crow-Girl, Eidi's blended family becomes too crowded after a new baby is born. She decides to avoid the situation and live with her friend Rossan, earning her keep by carding and spinning wool from his sheep. Bredsdorff's crystalline prose evokes the austere beauty of the Danish coastal setting and shapes a strong, independent main character.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(3) YA When development-minded Englishmen come to her Tennessee mountain community in 1879, Viney is put out. Her sister thrills to a husband rescuing her from butchering chickens and weaving cloth, but Viney's not so sure. Her resistance and newcomer Charlie's determination to make a new life give readers an authentic and sometimes humorous picture of the Thomas Hughes settlement in the Cumberland Mountains. Glos.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) K-3 Tales of the World series. Illustrated by Pascal Milelli. Eight-year-old Zulviya and the girls in her family spend their days weaving rugs, just like their mothers and grandmothers have always done. Impressionistic paintings in muted colors accompany Zulviya's lyrical description of her Afghan homeland and her yearning to escape "the shadow of the loom." An author's note provides details about illegal child labor in the Afghani rug-making industry.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) YA After a magical attack on her country, Avielle is the sole survivor of the royal family. Hated and feared for her resemblance to an evil (and racially "other") forebear, Avielle must come to terms with her appearance and magical powers in order to save her subjects. Avielle is sometimes naive, but her character arc is well developed, illuminating a new and interesting world.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(4) 4-6 In 1880s Iran, with her family's nomadic culture threatened by calls for a European-style parliament, sixteen-year-old Anahita gains permission to weave a riddle into her wedding carpet and marry only the man who solves it. Anahita's feminism is anachronistic, but her choice from among equally sympathetic suitors--a kind schoolteacher, a childhood friend, and a dashing prince--keep readers in suspense about the conclusion. Glos.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Anderson. An age-old process is the subject of a story in which sheep contribute wool to the creator of a textile picture of the flock. The sheep farmer's anonymity (she's referred to only as "the weaver") makes the process seem once-removed from reality, and the story has a drifting quality. Watercolor illustrations on a beginning page show the sheep morphing into the woven picture.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) YA Though she's a gifted weaver, teenage Crystal does not embrace the traditional Navajo ways and looks forward to leaving the reservation for college. When her latest rug is stolen off the loom, Crystal and her friend Junior, who is studying to become a healer, work together to find it. Appealing characters and an undemanding prose style make this story of contemporary Navajo teenagers an engaging, fast-paced novel.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta