Yetsa's Sweater.

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

For more than a hundred years, Cowichan sweaters have been crafted by Coast Salish women. Knit in shades of grey with their distinctive black and white designs, often representing flowers, waves, fish, and animals, the sweaters are wind and water resistant, making them both practical and beautiful.

Yetsa’s Sweater is the story of a very special Cowichan sweater. With Yetsa and her mom assisting, Grandma removes the debris (including the sheep poop!) from the freshly sheared fleeces, the first step in the making of a sweater. Then the wool is washed, rinsed, dried, teased, and carded until it is soft and flat with no knots or tangles. Next comes perhaps the most difficult task of all: spinning the wool into yarn. When the yarn is ready, only then does Grandma begin Yetsa’s special sweater, knitting into it all the things that Yetsa loves: flowers, whales, waves, clouds, and blackberries.

In the background notes concluding the book we learn that author Sylvia Olsen has a very personal connection to this story: Yetsa is, in fact, her granddaughter, the youngest in a long line of Coast Salish knitters.

Joan Larson’s pastel illustrations are richly textured, from the board fence to the cloud-like fluff of the drying fleeces, adding to our enjoyment of the story.

Yetsa’s Sweater could be used simply as a how-to story on its own or as part of the primary unit on pioneers. Young audiences will especially love the part about the sheep poop! Janet Lunn’s Amos’ Sweater and/or Tomie de Paola’s Charlie Needs a Cloak, told from a sheep’s perspective, would provide an amusing contrast when used in conjunction with Yetsa’s Sweater. Other classroom connections include the obvious tie-in with studies of Native Peoples (junior/intermediate). Because of the strong family bond portrayed, it could also be a useful resource for a primary unit about the family. Recommended.