That’s My Sweater!

Olivia has a favourite sweater, and she wears it everywhere. But she has outgrown the sweater, and it’s given to her younger brother. Upset that her favourite piece of clothing has been given away, Olivia tries to get her sweater back but to no avail. Olivia then sees a photograph of her older sibling when he was younger wearing her favourite sweater. The older brother explains to Olivia that it was once his favourite sweater, too, but now he has a new favourite sweater. Olivia then realizes that, perhaps, it’s okay that her younger brother has the sweater if he is going to enjoy it as much as she did. Besides, she also has a cool new sweater. But Olivia’s older brother recognizes her new sweater! Realizing that Olivia now has his favourite sweater, Olivia’s older brother yells, “Mom!” seeking answers as to why Olivia now has his favourite article of clothing.

The illustrations by von Innerebner in That’s My Sweater! are fun and engaging. She uses speech bubbles and other comic book conventions to have side conversations to the main narrative and, at times, in place of the narrative. Different fonts, the use of scale, and the varying size of illustrations add to the text to make it eye-catching. There is a limited colour palate to the illustrations, and the use of red makes the sweater and the other red elements stand out. There is much for young children to look at and read in the illustrations.

That’s My Sweater! addresses the common problem of the struggle of giving away kids’ items. I know my own children disliked giving away their favorite toys or clothes that they were emotionally attached to but have outgrown. I would have found That’s My Sweater a very helpful book to explain and discuss the benefits of passing along items to young children who will enjoy them as much as they did. Many children and adults alike will relate to That’s My Sweater!, making it a good shared reading text between caregiver and child