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    Leave Me Alone!: (Caldecott Honor Book)
    Unavailable
    Leave Me Alone!: (Caldecott Honor Book)
    Unavailable
    Leave Me Alone!: (Caldecott Honor Book)
    Ebook21 pages17 minutes

    Leave Me Alone!: (Caldecott Honor Book)

    By Vera Brosgol

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A 2017 Caldecott Honor Book that The New York Times calls “both classic and ultracontemporary,” Leave Me Alone! is an epic tale about one grandmother, a giant sack of yarn, and her ultimate quest to finish her knitting.

    One day, a grandmother shouts, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" and leaves her tiny home and her very big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting. Along the way, she encounters ravenous bears, obnoxious goats, and even hordes of aliens! But nothing stops grandma from accomplishing her goal—knitting sweaters for her many grandchildren to keep them warm and toasty for the coming winter.

    Vera Brosgol's slyly clever and unexpectedly funny modern folktale is certain to warm even the coldest of hearts.

    A 2017 Caldecott Honor Book
    A New York Times Notable Children's Book
    A National Public Radio Best Book of 2016
    A Horn Book Best Book of 2016
    A Huffington Post Best Picture Book of 2016

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateSep 13, 2016
    ISBN9781626729377
    Unavailable
    Leave Me Alone!: (Caldecott Honor Book)
    Author

    Vera Brosgol

    Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her two graphic novels, Anya's Ghost and Be Prepared, were published by First Second, and her debut picture book Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor book. She’s also worked in story on several animated films, including Coraline and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her dog Omar, a mere two hours from the sea.

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    Reviews for Leave Me Alone!

    4.5/5

    139 ratings18 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Silly book about an old woman trying to get her work done but cannot seem to find a quiet space to do it. She hikes all the way to outer space to knit her sweaters for winter. When she returns, she is happy to be home and share her sweaters with the large family she lives with.
    • 4/5
      A grandmother that is trying to knit since winter will be arriving soon. But because of her big family is almost impossible for her to knit. She leaves her house trying to find peace. So this book shows her journey through many places that she went through until she found a great spot in the moon, and after she’s done knitting she comes back home.
    • 4/5
      Poor grandma. She wants to knit warm winter clothes for her grandchildren, but she can't find a quiet spot to sit and knit. She leaves home in search of a quiet place to knit, but no matter how far she goes, no one will leave her alone. Not the bears, not the goats, not even the men in the moon! Fortunately, grandma knows her physics, and she finally finds a place to get that knitting done.I love the artwork, but I'm not completely sold on the story, at least not for young children. The “leave me alone” message makes me a little uncomfortable. I see the humor as an adult, but I would want to be careful sharing it with young children to make sure that their feelings aren't unintentionally hurt.
    • 4/5
      A delightfully idiosyncratic tale, Leave Me Alone! follows a disgruntled grandmother who only wants to knit, but instead finds herself besieged by an army of grandchildren. Picking up her sack and yelling "Leave me alone!," she sets off in search of some peace and quiet, only to discover that the woods and the mountainside each have their distractions, in the form of bears and goats. Eventually this grandmother climbs to the moon, and then - besieged by little aliens - she walks through a wormhole to a black void where she has all the solitude she needs...It's difficult to believe that this is Vera Brosgol's picture-book debut, so assured does she seem, both textually and artistically. Part fairy-tale, part science-fiction adventure, the story here has a matter-of-factly surreal quality that greatly appealed to me, while the artwork also displays a quirky sense of fun that is quite entertaining. I would recommend Leave Me Alone! to children who enjoy humorous tales, and to anyone who has ever just wanted to be left in peace to pursue their passion. We can all dream of wormholes, can't we?
    • 4/5
      Books with surprises - wormhole!!
    • 5/5
      A cute story for kids with beautiful illustrations and derpy goats!
    • 5/5
      My son is 31 now so I read this for myself! The title caught my eye. Life nowadays is far too hectic and interruptions far too frequent. Some say I need better multitasking skills but I firmly believe that the older one gets, the quicker the days go by. Our workload may not be any heavier than it was a decade ago, it’s just that the days are shorter when you’re in your late 50’s. I would dearly love the secret to buy some time. Great little book with terrific illustrations and eye popping colors!
    • 3/5
      Loved the illustrations!
    • 5/5
      This woman is my spirit animal. Introvert knitters, unite!
    • 5/5
      A simple relatable tale about needing peace and quiet sometimes. It’s the bit when grandmother goes to the moon that really won me over. And then it got better! I do love Vera Brogsol.
    • 5/5
      OMG the mountain goats! Are ridiculous! Awesome. Also, I have never seen an eye twitch so well rendered in a picture book before.
    • 5/5
      Ah, the elusive quest for peace and quiet...

      Though I'm neither an old woman nor do I have thirty noisy grandchildren, I can totally relate to the need to find a quiet place to sit and craft (or read or write or think...). Love some of the places the old woman ends up going to try to be left alone, especially the very last one.

      Great read! I almost feel like the adults reading this picture book will appreciate it more than the kids will.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful grumpy fun. Made me laugh in the first page turn. Distinct and cute art style. Good colors.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I can wholly sympathize with the cranky old lady who just wants a little peace and quiet while she does her work. Brosgol's story is beautifully illustrated and features some unusual twists on the way to its inevitable ending. Nicely done.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A grandmother just wants to knit in peace, but can't seem to be left alone! She travels far and wide for some peace and quiet. This book makes for a great read-aloud and had me smiling the whole time.
    • 4/5
      I love that this 2017 Caldecott Honor book is humorously funny, and contains a subject that children and adults can relate to.Much like the story of there was an old woman who lived in a shoe and had so many children she didn't know what to do, this grandmother also longs for space and quiet. Living in a small claustrophobic house with many grandchildren and their mother, she wants some time to be alone.Shouting loudly she screams "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!" And, finally when her pleas are unanswered, with knitting materials in hand, she takes a journey to find solace. Along the way she goes to the moon and finds alien creatures who claim her time, and again she shouts "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!" Off to the woods she goes where again her time once again is demanded by others. Throughout the story the intensity of her need seems to increase. Until finally, she finds a space where she can knit sweaters for her many grandchildren.There are so many things to love about this book. Interestingly, she needed time to be happy in doing something for others.. But most importantly, the book stresses the health in taking down time to rest and restore.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This is a cute story for ages 4-7 about a grandmother who lives in a small house with a big family, and can never get her knitting done with all the interruptions. Increasingly frustrated, she packs up all her things and goes off in search of some peace and quiet. When she finally gets to be by herself, however, of course she is lonely, and ends up coming back home.This book will appeal both to children and adults, and you can just imagine it as an excellent choice for library kid-reading events. Each time the grandma shouts “Leave me alone!” all the kids will be shouting and giggling as well.The illustrations by Brosgol are hilarious, in a very subtle way. You have to study them to see all the funny bits. (Brosgol is a graphic novel writer and artist, and here she employs her talent for packing frames with lots of information and action.)

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      So cute and relate-able! Anybody with a large family will understand what the main character goes through. The illustrations are adorable! I love just exactly how large the family is.

      1 person found this helpful