Leave Me Alone
by Vera Brosgol
Hardcover Picture Book
Published by Roaring Book Press New York
ISBN 9781626724419
I loved this book. But, I must admit that I am probably biased. I am a knitter and I feel a kinship with the old women in the book. I always just want a quiet place to sit, drink my tea and knit. Any parent who wants to get something done, anything done, can relate to this women's plight. There have been countless days when I secure a sitter for my kids so that I can get a few hours of work done, when the doorbell dings or the phone rings and the dogs need food or attention. It seems no matter what I do or where I go I can't get anything done.
In the book Leave Me Alone the old women think she can leave her very large family and wander off in the woods to get some knitting done. But no matter where this woman goes, someone or something is there asking something of her or disrupting her knitting. That is until she finds a black hole, which she steps through into nothing. In the black hole she is in utter bliss as she drinks her tea and works on her knitting. But just like any parent or grandparent who lives in a lively house full of children, she soon realizes that it is very lonely when you have a lot of time alone with no one bothering you. The old women returns to her family in her very small, very full house. She is happy to be home.
We read this book the other night at bedtime. The story flows nicely and the pictures are bright and engaging. It kept the attention of both my kids. And, because I am a knitter who often asks to be left alone to knit (though I haven't found a black hole yet) my kids liked to see the yarn being tossed about by the kids or eaten by the goats. It was a good book and we recommend getting it from your local library whether you are a knitter or not, because everyone needs a black hole sometimes.
