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mdevlin923's review against another edition
3.0
Raffi enjoys peace and solitude at school, and one day sits down to learn how to knit with a teacher. He is teased for it, but continues on. Soon he learns how to sew, and these skills come in handy during the school play.
tophat8855's review against another edition
4.0
"WHY did he feel different from the other children at school? Was it because he was the smallest in his class? Or because his hair was longer than the other boys? Could it because he liked wearing bright colours?"
Gee, if only I knew where to find a kid that fit every single one of those descriptors! Ha, I do. And he wants to knit something for the county fair this year.
Great book for him. :)
Gee, if only I knew where to find a kid that fit every single one of those descriptors! Ha, I do. And he wants to knit something for the county fair this year.
Great book for him. :)
bardicbramley's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure about this one.
It had so much potential but something just feels off.
It feels like maybe it should be two separate books?
There's the one side, that talks about Raffi learning to knit, how he is bullied for it, but then creates something amazing that wows all the children at school and proves to them that knitting and sewing can be cool.
I really enjoyed the moral arc of this part of the plot.
Then alongside that there seems to be a nonspecific questioning of Raffi's sexuality? Gender? Self expression? The problem is I'm not sure what it was trying to say.
Raffi asks if there's such a thing as a Tomgirl, which would lead me to say gender expression? But then the story also seems to lean into gay stereotypes of the 'girly' boy who doesn't like football and instead makes clothes for the school play and dreams of becoming a fashion designer. All of which is completely great, if it were the main point of the story and clearly explored.
I think it just missed the mark for me.
It had so much potential but something just feels off.
It feels like maybe it should be two separate books?
There's the one side, that talks about Raffi learning to knit, how he is bullied for it, but then creates something amazing that wows all the children at school and proves to them that knitting and sewing can be cool.
I really enjoyed the moral arc of this part of the plot.
Then alongside that there seems to be a nonspecific questioning of Raffi's sexuality? Gender? Self expression? The problem is I'm not sure what it was trying to say.
Raffi asks if there's such a thing as a Tomgirl, which would lead me to say gender expression? But then the story also seems to lean into gay stereotypes of the 'girly' boy who doesn't like football and instead makes clothes for the school play and dreams of becoming a fashion designer. All of which is completely great, if it were the main point of the story and clearly explored.
I think it just missed the mark for me.
ellalouise99's review against another edition
5.0
Raffi enjoys making things such as textiles and art. The other children tease Raffi but he loves what he does so he ignores them. The gender stereotypes begin to bother Raffi and he feels different until he makes something that his peers are impressed by. Raffi realises that he can have different hobbies to the other boys in his class but still be friends and that is okay.
A fantastic book that breaks down gender stereotypes and encourages inclusion. I would read this book with KS1 and lower KS2 children. The book links very well to art and textiles. FIngerknitting or making their own capes would be good activities that closely link to the story. Before making their textiles, children could do instructional writing to write a step by step guide to how they are going to make their item, as Raffi has in the story.
A fantastic book that breaks down gender stereotypes and encourages inclusion. I would read this book with KS1 and lower KS2 children. The book links very well to art and textiles. FIngerknitting or making their own capes would be good activities that closely link to the story. Before making their textiles, children could do instructional writing to write a step by step guide to how they are going to make their item, as Raffi has in the story.
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