Description
Yetsa's Sweater is a charming picture book by Sylvia Olsen about the women of the Coast Salish who continue to create beautiful Cowichan sweaters. It is an effective picture book that demonstrates First Nations experiential learning. Yetsa is spending time with her grandmother assisting in the preparation of the sheep's wool needed to knit these amazing one-of-a-kind sweaters. The story and illustrations show the love and understanding between the generations as Yetsa's mother joins the group to complete the many tasks needed to make the wool ready for knitting. Everyone pulls apart the piles of wool to remove the debris. Yetsa gets a surprise in her pile of wool. The washing is the next step in the process of preparing the wool. Huge pots of boiling water are used to wash the wool. Yetsa helps in all the processes as the wool proceeds on to the wringing and hanging of the heavy strands so they can dry. The next steps include teasing, carding, and spinning the wool so grandmother can begin the knitting process. Yetsa loves helping her mother and grandmother and they all find the hard work and cooperation are a time of closeness and enjoyment. Yetsa had always worn her special sweater since she was little and now she finds her grandmother is knitting her a brand new sweater with the special designs that have meaning for Yetsa. This wonderful book offers a fine example of a read-aloud book for younger children as well as a picture book that explains the processes involved in creating a beautiful work of art. The author includes additional information about the history of the Coast Salish people and their amazing hand-made Cowichan sweaters. The pastel illustrations by Joan Larson capture the love and caring between the generations as a young girl joins her mother and grandmother in learning the art of making Cowichan sweaters. A Teacher's Guide is available at http://www.sononis.com/tg126.pdf