A funny and creative look at how to turn a problem into a solution.Max is a big dog who lives with Izzy, a medium-sized girl, who has big ideas. Izzy can build anything—a birdhouse, a wooden swing, a tent, and even a catapult that really works. So when Izzy takes up knitting, she expects to be able to knit anything. But trying to make a sweater seems impossible.
While scarves and hats knit up quickly, her sweaters always come out too big, too small, or with too many mistakes. As Izzy’s knitting nightmares pile up, it takes a trip with Max to the dog park to figure out what she can do with them. Maybe these aren’t mistakes after all!
Laurel Molk’s career started by selling her drawings to her neighbors--a penny a drawing, or six for a nickel. Later she went on to pursue drawing at RISD. Laurel now directs her talents toward illustrating and writing children's books. She has published several books and has exhibited in shows at the Society of Illustrators. Like Izzy, Laurel has yet to knit a perfect sweater. Laurel Molk lives outside of Boston with her family and a very large dog named Calvin.
★ "Dressed in colorful knits, both Izzy and her canine pal leap across the pages in watercolor and ink illustrations that showcase Izzy’s creative process, her frustration, and the joyfulness of her relationship with Max, whose body language speaks (adorable) volumes. Molk handles the theme of persistence with deftness and humor, and this will be especially relatable for kids who tend to catch onto things quickly but may be discouraged at any setback. Izzy shows that when you keep trying, you might make something even better than you planned."
—Bulletin, starred review
"This cozy story illuminates two big realities: that everyone fails sometimes and that failure itself can lead to something better. The illustrations, done in watercolor, pen, ink, and a little Photoshop, are cheerfully comic."
—Booklist "Izzy hits on the ultimate lemonade-from-lemons idea: turning a misshapen sweater into a warm garment for Max, which sparks demand at the local dog park; a marvelous watercolor and ink spread depicts triumphant Izzy watching sweatered pooches of all sizes romping and chasing tennis balls in the snow. Measured storytelling, wry images, and a cool but approachable protagonist, acknowledging both the frustrations of hitting a metaphoric wall and the joys of discovering new depths of personal ingenuity."
—Publishers Weekly
