Chronicle Books | 978-1452178066

WOVEN OF THE WORLD by Katey Howes, illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova is a masterpiece of art and text, woven together into a beautiful exploration of the ways that we, as humans, are threaded in and out of one another’s lives.

“With clack and swish, with heart and hand,
we layer row on row.
Our loom sings tales of fabric,
friendship, families long ago.”

This is a book you’ll want to savor. I had a chance to read WOVEN OF THE WORLD for the first time when I was attending a conference last November and knew it was a book I would have to own once it was officially out in February.

It’s a marvel how – seemingly effortlessly – Howes links one stanza/ vignette to the next (in rhyme, no less!), referencing the ways weaving traditions are rooted in the daily lives of peoples around the world.

In the backmatter, we are reminded that “People around the globe have woven fibers into ropes, cloth, baskets, clothing and art for a very long time,” both as tools and necessities as well as forms of spiritual, cultural and personal self-expression.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Text by Katey Howes, Illustration by Dinara Mirtalipova

I found myself curious about the backstory of the book – how did Howes come up with the idea for this book? –  and lucky us! She did an interview about the book’s journey. You can learn more about that HERE.

Extensive backmatter provides additional information about the history of weaving, and the author and illustrator notes add more about their personal journey making this book, as well as their hopes for readers.

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Enjoy this Weaving Activity!

When I was still working as a classroom teacher, every year we always did a weaving project. It can be a little tricky to get started and it helps if you have a volunteer to make the looms, but once they’re set up and the kids get the hang of it, you’ll find it will be one of the highlights of their year.

Here’s a version of the Cardboard Loom Weaving project we used to do (courtesy of the Artful Parent blog).