Yetsa learns how to prepare a sheep fleece to make a sweater with her grandma and mother. She learns that every step requires a lot of hard work and care but she enjoys that she gets to connect with both her grandma and mother.
Age 3-5
Resource: Pierce College Library

Yetsa visits her grandma and helps to prepare the wool used in the knitting of the Coast Salish traditional Cowichan sweaters. Patterns of the sweaters are explored.

Yetsa, her mother and her grandmother gather to prepare the sheep fleeces piled in Grandma's yard. As they clean, wash and dry the fleece, laughter and hard work connect the three generations. The fleeces are used to create wool for sweater making. Yetsa's grandmother has been knitting sweaters since a child, she has taught Yetsa how to tease the wool and prepare it for knitting. Estimated age group 3-5 years

This is a great story for many forums. This story covers family, culture, history and more. The illustrations are beautiful, yet realistic. The story is true, not glossy, as evidenced by the unsavory surprise Yetsa finds while helping prepare wool for the cleaning pot.

The authors notes on Cowichan sweaters, round out the value of this book. ( )

Yetsa loves her Saturday visits with her grandmother, who teaches her how a traditional Cowichan sweater is made, step by step. From the laborious process of washing the fleece to teasing and carding the wool, from the spinning of the yarn to the knitting of the sweater, the journey from raw material to finished product is covered in every detail. Along the way, Yetsa consumes lots of grandmother's homemade blackberry jam, and learns that making a Cowichan sweater is an act of love...

With its gentle narrative - infused with a sense of tradition and family warmth - and its expressive pastel illustrations by Joan Larson, Yetsa's Sweater is a lovely little book. Sylvia Olsen operated a Cowichan sweater-shop for sixteen years, and her knowledge of the subject shines through, both in the narrative and in the factual afterword. Engaging and educational, this appealing story will allow young readers a glimpse of Coast Salish traditions, particularly as they relate to the making of these beautiful sweaters. Highly recommended! ( )