Thread by Thread coming February 18th, 2025 from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers; 15 pages
Content Warning: Displacement
About the Author: “Alice Brière-Haquet is a former high school teacher and the author of many books, including Phalaina (Levine Querido), Nina (Charlesbridge), and Pocket Philosophy: Schopenhauer’s Porcupine (Oh! Editions). Her titles have received starred reviews from Booklist, Foreword, and Kirkus, and her book Phalaina was a starred inclusion on the Bank Street College of Education Best Books list. Alice lives in France” (Bio from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Find Alice Brière-Haquet on the following platforms:
About the Illustrator: “Michela Eccli is an Italian artist, illustrator, and author of children’s books. She created the art for this book with drawing, photography, and skeins of yarn. Thread by Thread is Michela’s English-language debut” (Bio from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Find Michela Eccli on the following platforms:
About the Translator: “Sarah Ardizzone has translated over fifty books from the French, including Alpha (Bellevue), Sweet Dreamers, and Letters from Bear (both Eerdmans). Her translations have been named to best-of-the-year lists by Kirkus, School Library Journal, and the Bank Street College of Education. Sarah lives in Brixton, England, where she and her family love knitting and all kinds of crafting with thread” (Bio from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Find Sarah Ardizzone on the following platforms:
“Up and leave, don’t look back, never let the thread go slack.”
Alice Brière-Haquet’s picture book is an inspiring story that focuses on the unexpected journey of a family of mice. The mice’s home is made of colorful strings that they have carefully knit together. When there is a tug on the string of their home, the mice have to quickly leave their unraveling shelter while trying to keep track of the thread in hopes of rebuilding. They face perilous obstacles, like a fire-breathing dragon and a dark forest. Once the thread snaps, they are left to forage for a new strand of yarn. When other animals notice their struggle, they pitch in to help the mice, working together to build a new house in which they can live peacefully.
Thread by Thread was such an interesting concept for a children’s book. The story itself was simple but meaningful, making it completely worth a read. The connection between the family was strong, and I loved how they stuck together. Even as they lost their home, the family did not give up or lose hope. Alice Brière-Haquet handles the difficult topics of loss and displacement in a way that manages to demonstrate to children that even when bad things happen, something good can still come. Michela Eccli did a wonderful job with the colored-pencil illustrations. I loved the bright shades and the realistic depictions of yarn that seemed to pop off the page, which was perfect for this story. The original house is made of red yarn, but as more animals help the mice rebuild, new colors are added, making a vibrant and lovely home that is even more personal than the first, which visually represents the relationships that are formed with the other animals. I loved how the yarn tied the family together, first in their house and then when the other animals joined to help them create a new home. This is a genuinely beautiful tale of perseverance!
Thread by Thread releases on February 18th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Eerdmans Books for Young Readers and Alice Brière-Haquet for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Hannah Goerndt, Pine Reads Review Writer