The Story Blanket

The children of a remote mountain village love to huddle together on Babba Zarrah’s sitting blanket and listen to her stories. One bitter winter, when the fields are frozen and there is no wool to be found, the villagers are puzzled by the arrival of small knitted gifts to protect them from the cold. At the same time, the children notice that they have to sit closer and closer together on the story blanket as it gradually shrinks in size. It is they who solve the mystery of the gifts, after the blanket eventually disappears (but only until the recipients of the gifts happen to be standing together). This is a simply told and brightly illustrated book with a seasonally and perennially relevant message about the importance of generosity and gratitude. The way in which the villagers repay Babbah Zarrah for her sacrifice involves a warm and beautiful play of meaning on the idea of sharing yarns.