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5th out of 24 books
—
6 voters
Lester's Dreadful Sweaters
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
September 1st 2012
by Kids Can Press
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I found this book to be hilarious. My grandmother made my younger sister a horrible bright yellow sweater with bits of white fluff stuck all to it. The family jokingly referred to this garment as the chicken sweater. My sister is now married and her new last name is Lester. The thought of her son, a Lester, being the next generation of ugly sweater wearers is too funny for me. This is especially so since I am the culprit who knits him the ugly sweaters.
I laughed out loud at the contradictions i...more
I laughed out loud at the contradictions i...more
The story is engaging and imaginative, however, the illustrations put a damper on the liveliness that could have and should have happened throughout the book.
The reader begins with two pages of alliteration which I expected to be carried on throughout the story, “Cousins Clara’s cottage was consumed by a crocodile.” This is the reason Cousin Clara came to stay with Lester’s family. Nothing else is mentioned of the crocodile and the alliteration ends there.
Cousin Clara is described as “little and...more
The reader begins with two pages of alliteration which I expected to be carried on throughout the story, “Cousins Clara’s cottage was consumed by a crocodile.” This is the reason Cousin Clara came to stay with Lester’s family. Nothing else is mentioned of the crocodile and the alliteration ends there.
Cousin Clara is described as “little and...more
The illustrations in this story aren’t so great. Everything seems overshadowed by a dreary sepia tone that renders it all rather drab and lifeless. Even Lester’s Cousin Clara doesn’t match up to her description. She’s written to be “little and frilly” but is actually dumpy and fat with a mole, ugly little glasses and gray hair that sticks up from her round head and she wears a dowdy ankle-length dress. She looks like a slightly feminized version of Oliver Hardy. Her minor claims to daintiness ar...more
http://www.cozylittlebookjournal.com/...
Lester is a particular boy. He likes everything to be orderly and neat. He likes things to be proper. So when his Cousin Clara comes to stay (whose cousin she is remains unclear) and proceeds to knit Lester sweater after horrible sweater, all with extra bits or missing arm holes, Lester is not happy. In fact, he's dreadful. He tries everything he can think of to "accidentally" lose or destroy each sweater, but Cousin Clara is a maddeningly fast knitter and...more
Lester is a particular boy. He likes everything to be orderly and neat. He likes things to be proper. So when his Cousin Clara comes to stay (whose cousin she is remains unclear) and proceeds to knit Lester sweater after horrible sweater, all with extra bits or missing arm holes, Lester is not happy. In fact, he's dreadful. He tries everything he can think of to "accidentally" lose or destroy each sweater, but Cousin Clara is a maddeningly fast knitter and...more
All the dreadful sweaters of the world had to be worn by poor Lester! But why? The family receives Cousin Clara into their home. She occupies her time knitting, one day making a new sweater for Lester. Truly a one of a kind sweater, but not of Lester's liking. Quick to end his social embarrasment due to wearing the sweater to school,he destroys it. Clara keeps knitting and for each one he destroys, she knits a new one. What to do? Lester needs to decide to wear Clara's "avantgarde" creations or...more
Lester lives a very orderly, meticulous life until the arrival of Cousin Clara (whose “cottage was consumed by a crocodile). She installs herself in his family’s home and begins knitting sweaters – each one more horrific than the last. Lester manages to destroy every single one of them almost as quickly as Clara churns them out, but his reputation is beginning to suffer. When he’s forced to wear a particularly hideous sweater to a classmate’s birthday party, he attracts the attention of the clow...more
When writing a picture book it can sometimes be a good idea to take a universal childhood annoyance and then build upon it in a satisfyingly ridiculous manner. And kids, let's face it, are often annoyed. They have to eat vegetables and take baths and take out the trash and any number of grumble-worthy daily events. And though I have no evidence to support it, I have a theory about bad gifts from relatives. I think that's something that crosses space and time and language and culture. I think tha...more
http://www.owltellyouaboutit.com/posts/lesters-dreadful-sweaters/
I love Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters. It’s one of my favorite picture books I’ve ever read. It has that quirky, silly feel to it that I always seem to appreciate. Lester, I suspect, has a mild case of OCD. His hair must always be combed to perfection and his socks must be at just the perfect length. He’s a very serious child. When Cousin Clara comes to live with them she begins making him the most dreadful sweaters, with random holes...more
I love Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters. It’s one of my favorite picture books I’ve ever read. It has that quirky, silly feel to it that I always seem to appreciate. Lester, I suspect, has a mild case of OCD. His hair must always be combed to perfection and his socks must be at just the perfect length. He’s a very serious child. When Cousin Clara comes to live with them she begins making him the most dreadful sweaters, with random holes...more
Lester is a particular little boy who likes things just so. When Cousin Clara came to live with his family he was concerned. At first everything went well and Cousin Clara did not mess up any of his things. However, Cousin Clara knits and the sweaters she ends up creating for Lester are quite unusual and affect how people at school react to him. Lester decides to put a stop to it by destroying the sweater, but Cousin Clara just makes more and more, faster than Lester can get rid of them. In the...more
Ok how could I not review this book, a book about hand knit sweaters… I’m there.
Cousin Clara’s house is consumed by a crocodile so she has to move in with Lester’s family. All was going well, and Cousin Clara seems to occupy her time with knitting, and only knitting until Cousin Clara announces that she made Lester a sweater and it is hideous! Poor Lester suffers through sweater after sweater that Cousin Clara knits for him, each one suffer mysterious accidents.
This was a fun and quirky book for...more
Cousin Clara’s house is consumed by a crocodile so she has to move in with Lester’s family. All was going well, and Cousin Clara seems to occupy her time with knitting, and only knitting until Cousin Clara announces that she made Lester a sweater and it is hideous! Poor Lester suffers through sweater after sweater that Cousin Clara knits for him, each one suffer mysterious accidents.
This was a fun and quirky book for...more
Lester has what my mother would call a rigid personality. He keeps lists of things in alphabetical order such as Suspicious Stuff Starting with C. The story begins with Lester adding crocodiles to his list after one eats Cousin Clara's cabin. Cousin Clara must move in with Lester and his family and she begins to knit him one horrible sweater after another. Lester is not a footloose and fancy free type of child and he hates every strangely made and strangely colored monstrosity. Each one meets a...more
“No one knows who’s cousin Cousin Clara really is” so she comes to stay with Lester’s family. When Cousin Clara knits Lester a sweater he is delighted, until he sees it. The sweater is very ugly and nothing Lester would like to wear with his neat ties and nicely combed hair. So everyday he devises a way to get rid of the sweater and everyday Cousin Clara knits him an even more horrifying one. Can he get rid of them all in time for Enid’s birthday party? Campbell’s comical illustrations go hand i...more
Lester is a precocious child who catalogs suspicious things that begin with "c", measures his socks to make sure they are even, and has a vast collection of lost and found items. When his cousin Clara moves in after a crocodile chomps her cabin, she begins to knit Lester atrocious sweaters. What will lester do? he uses every inventive idea he can muster to rid himself of the disgusting designs, but Clara is one speedy knitter! This vocabulary rich, rollicking picture book will make you giggle an...more
More reviews on my blog: Books for Kids
The only thing better than an original picture book is an original picture book that's funny. I laughed out loud at some of poor Lester's sweaters and his "solution" for them.
I think that every child knows the feeling of being forced to wear something truly dreadful. Lester's sweaters all meet with a mysterious demise until he comes up with a solution that makes everyone happy.
Campbell's illustrations are as fantastic as his writing. They are simple, humoro...more
The only thing better than an original picture book is an original picture book that's funny. I laughed out loud at some of poor Lester's sweaters and his "solution" for them.
I think that every child knows the feeling of being forced to wear something truly dreadful. Lester's sweaters all meet with a mysterious demise until he comes up with a solution that makes everyone happy.
Campbell's illustrations are as fantastic as his writing. They are simple, humoro...more
I adored the sly humor of this book and the fantastic language. When Cousin Clara comes to stay (after a crocodile consumes her cottage), Lester's problem begins. Cousin Clara is a curiously speedy knitter, and what she loves most to knit are dreadful sweaters which Lester is doomed to wear. Even when a sweater comes to an unexpected tragic end (like being shredded by the lawn mower), there's always a new one to take its place. The expressions on the character's face are fantastic, and the endin...more
This is a hilarious story about a little boy, his “cousin” that knits horrible sweaters, and his attempts to dispose of said sweaters with a humor that echoes Lemony Snicket’s. The opening line caught me right away: “Cousin Clara’s cottage was consumed by a crocodile. Luckily, Cousin Clara wasn’t in it.” Any book that uses words like “inexplicable tragedy,” “ghastly,” and “irksome,” and has a protagonist with a list of “Suspicious Stuff Starting with C” has my vote!
-Dawn at KDL’s Gaines Township...more
-Dawn at KDL’s Gaines Township...more
Young Lester was suspicious of pretty much everything and he liked his life to be perfectly ordered. That all changed when cousin Clara arrived. The family isn't quite sure whose cousin she is, but if she's family then she, and her knitting basket, will be welcomed in their home. Now poor Lester's life will never be the same for Cousin Clara rapidly knitted him a sweater which, to be polite, he wore until it "accidentally" got ruined. Never fear, cousin Clara can knit up a new one in the blink o...more
Age: 1st grade-3rd
The wry humor, Lester's slumped shoulders and dejected face, the less-than-agreeable colors all come together to highlight Lester's dreadful sweaters. The story is also a fun one as Lester tries to find a way to avoid wearing his Cousin Clara's knitting for a friend's party. Alas, his cousin always has a sweater prepared. Filled with descriptive vocabulary. This would be perfect as a read-aloud with a follow-up "dreadful sweater" craft.
The wry humor, Lester's slumped shoulders and dejected face, the less-than-agreeable colors all come together to highlight Lester's dreadful sweaters. The story is also a fun one as Lester tries to find a way to avoid wearing his Cousin Clara's knitting for a friend's party. Alas, his cousin always has a sweater prepared. Filled with descriptive vocabulary. This would be perfect as a read-aloud with a follow-up "dreadful sweater" craft.
Part "No roses for Harry" by Gene Zion and the episode when Denise makes a shirt for Theo on the "Cosby Show," this book is hilarious. You cannot help but feel Lester's pain as he tries so creatively to get rid of each new hideous sweater. And he isn't even sure if Cousin Clara is his real cousin. The illustrations of the family lend to the hilarity of this book. Although I am not a fan of clowns, they saved the day for Lester, that's for sure.
Inspired, divine, hilarious, and just plain brilliant. With text that is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket and illustrations that channel Charles Addams, this picture book is an absolute gem amid too-cutesy and overly "charming" books that sometimes flood this portion of the book market.
This is the kind of picture book that you not only enjoy sharing with children, but buy copies of for your adult friends and family.
This is the kind of picture book that you not only enjoy sharing with children, but buy copies of for your adult friends and family.
Quirky on every level: story premise, vocabulary choice, personalities, illustration style, and, of course, sweater designs.
The odd thing is these wacky components work, as entertainment and also as a reflection of real world situations. Lester's problem-solving attempts range from direct to dejected. But... it's a picture book, and the ending is both happy and consistently quirky.
The odd thing is these wacky components work, as entertainment and also as a reflection of real world situations. Lester's problem-solving attempts range from direct to dejected. But... it's a picture book, and the ending is both happy and consistently quirky.
This book just missed the mark at being perfect. The illustrations were clever and hysterical and the story is great yet there is just some element missing and I'm not sure what. Still--a great read to your favorite kid or storytime for an older group.
This is K.G. Campbell's debut so I look forward to more from this author/illustrator and am sure he'll hit a homerun next time.
This is K.G. Campbell's debut so I look forward to more from this author/illustrator and am sure he'll hit a homerun next time.
This funny story reads like a cautionary tale to parents. Overly stuffy Lester receives sweater after sweater, the ugliest and most ill-conceived sweaters youve ever imagined. He tries to be polite at first, but resorts to using - gasp- creativity to solve his problem. In the end, it turns out those sweaters may have done him some good after all.
Cousin Clara's cottage was consumed by crocodiles! So begins this new classic--a dark-ish tale of a boy who keeps receiving hideous sweaters from his well-meaning cousin. Amusing language, delightful illustrations, and a hint of the ol' Edward Gorey combine to make this irresistible for older picture book readers. Recommended for ages 5 to 10.
I adored the illustrations and overall, I liked the premise of Lester's cousin who knits ghastly sweater after ghastly sweater in this cute snd quirky story. There were a few awkward page turns where I felt a bit confused and wondered if I missed something, and had to go back to see if I missed a page, but alas, I didn't. It is a wordier picture book, so I'd recommend this for 3rd grade and up.
Soooooo cute; I really kind of loved this one, and had very fond flashbacks to No Roses for Harry!, which was my favorite book as a kid and has a similar theme. The illustations are great--simple and whimsical at the same time, and the same goes for the story. It has a bit of a nostalgic feel somehow. And it's funny too! Definitely well worth a read.
A very fun story that both kids and adults will find entertaining. Lester's Aunt Clara (who might not actually be related to anyone) has to come live with the family after her house is eaten by a crocodile, and she keeps knitting him horrible sweaters that he keeps destroying in ever more creative ways.
This is a funny, quirky story about a meticulous boy who receives sweaters from Cousin Clara (who may or may not be related). The sweaters mysteriously are damaged beyond wearing.
As a knitter myself, I relate to this story. My first ventures into knitting produced some wonky clothing that was subsequently given to the cat as a cushion.
Check out the contemplative illustration of Lester towards the end of the book.
As a knitter myself, I relate to this story. My first ventures into knitting produced some wonky clothing that was subsequently given to the cat as a cushion.
Check out the contemplative illustration of Lester towards the end of the book.
When Lester's mysterious cousin Clara comes to stay with his family she insists on knitting him ugly sweaters and Lester must figure out how to accept the unwanted gifts without hurting his cousin's feelings.
it is difficult to find the message and understand what the author tries to convey
it is difficult to find the message and understand what the author tries to convey
Delightful artwork enhances this clever story about an aunt (who might not even be related) that knits with the speed of lightning; sweaters no one would want to wear. The facial expressions on all the characters are hilarious. Pair this with Extra Yarn and Penguin and Pinecone.
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K. G. Campbell is the author-illustrator of Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters. He was born in Kenya, raised in Scotland, and now lives in southern California.
More about K.G. Campbell...
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