As part of our 31 Picture Books For Homeschooling All Ages series, we have chosen kids’ books with vivid language, interesting stories and striking artwork to appeal to every person in your family. Red Berry Wool is one of our favorites!
Our book posts also include a few activities — some simple, some more involved — for your entire family to enjoy together. Or not! Reading the book is enough in itself if that is all you want to do.
Snuggle up and enjoy a picture book or two together as a family. It may be the highlight of your day.
Red Berry Wool Picture Book Details
Book: Red Berry Wool
Author:
Illustrator:
Red Berry Wool
Before we got our own copy of this book, we brought it home from the library nearly every other time we went. It wasn’t just me picking it up either. My children took turns rediscovering it each time. It is always a hoot to watch them take a loved book off of the shelf, run move quickly towards me, and exclaim something to the effect of
“Mom! We’ve read this book before! Can we buy it again?”
For a long time, the word buy was used in place of check out when we went to the library. There really is nothing like hearing those sorts of feelings expressed by your child towards a book.
Red Berry Wool is a book about Lalo, a lamb who wants have a sweater like the boy, his boy, the shepherd boy wears. The one made from their wool. He asks his mom what needs to happen to wool for it to be a sweater.
Wash the wool, Spin it, Dye the wool, Knit it
Lalo sets off optimistically to do these things to his wool. In the process he gets into trouble every step of the way. Each time, the boy comes running to save Lalo.
By the time Lalo is ready to knit his wool, it is dark and he is tired from his day of mishaps. His mother describes knitting as bringing things together. You can almost hear the sigh of relief as Lalo goes back and sits next to the boy. They are together.
I also love the textured illustrations. They are very interesting to look at. They make you want to feel the page a second time because they look as if they should be woolly.
Red Berry Wool is out of print, but it is so superb that it is well worth purchasing used or scouring your local library for a copy.
Red Berry Wool Homeschool Activities
#1 – Watch as wool is washed, spun, dyed and knit on YouTube.
- Washing wool the old fashioned way
- Spinning by a weaver with a great accent!
- Time lapse knit sweater in a day
#2 – I have found memories of tie dying as a kid. There are ideas out there for tie dying just about any piece of white clothing with several different types of dyes. Check out a few of these for inspiration.
- Go easy and Tie Dye with Sharpies! A tutorial from The Art Girl Jackie
- A very informative post on Traditional Tie Dye from Allison at Dream A Little Bigger
- I thought that this party idea from Doodle Craft with Tie Dye Kits was very cool! Can we say birthday party for Ruth? (I can’t believe she is turning 8!)
#3 – Would you like to learn to knit? This is a great inexpensive activity for the whole family!
- Knit Picks YouTube videos are a great place to start!
- Purchase a medium sized set of needles.
- Start with some cotton yarn.
- Make a dishcloth. No matter how it turns out, chances are it will still wash your dishes!
- Ready to move on? Try Kids Knit!: Simple Steps to Nifty Projects.
#4 – I mentioned that the illustrations in Red Berry Wool were textured. I love the textured look on landscapes. Why not create one yourself or as a family? They are easy even for the youngest artist to create and can be quite personal.
- Challenge older children to a scavenger hut for textures! Walk around your house, yard or even the park and find different textures to use for your landscapes. Some ideas might be, a wicker basket, cooling rack, concrete picnic table, grass, leaves, and carpet.
- Here are some good examples: Art at Becker Middle School, Arte a Scuola, Art With Mr. E.
Picture Book Lists For Homeschooling All Ages
Looking for more picture book resources for your homeschool? Download our printable library and book list below!
- Vulture View Homeschool Picture Book And Activities - September 30, 2021
- Dahlia Homeschool Picture Book And Activities - September 29, 2021
- How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World Picture Book And Activities - September 25, 2021