Lester's Dreadful Sweaters

Written & illustrated by K. G. Campbell

Lester battles a relentless onslaught of hideous sweaters from Cousin Clara. Can he escape this woolly nightmare?

3.9/5 Goodreads · 1,172 ratings

32 pages· 846 words· Est. 7 min read-aloud

$16.95Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Lester's orderly life is upended when Cousin Clara moves in, knitting him a series of ghastly sweaters. Each time he manages to rid himself of one, another appears. As the sweaters pile up, Lester must devise a clever plan to stop the woolly invasion before he's forever trapped in a wardrobe of embarrassment. Will he find a way to end the cycle of dreadful knitwear, or is he doomed to a life of pom-poms and peculiar patterns? Discover the hilarity and heart in this tale of unwanted gifts and family dynamics.

From the publisher

Everything went well enough at first when Cousin Clara unexpectedly came to stay with Lester’s family. Clara didn’t make unsavory noises or rearrange Lester’s Lost and Found collection. All she did was sit and knit. However, things quickly take a turn when Clara presents Lester with a sweater she knitted for him. Not a normal sweater. A misshapen, yellow with purple pom-poms sweater. A perfectly dreadful sweater! Lester is mortified to be seen in it. Luckily, it is destroyed in a mysterious accident later that day. But then Clara surprises him with another sweater, equally ghastly. When it, too, meets an unfortunate end, Clara knits another one, and then another to replace that one after its tragic demise. Is there nothing Lester can do to stop Cousin Clara’s never-ending supply of hideous sweaters?Author and illustrator K. G. Campbell’s unconventional picture book tale is brought to hilarious life by his drawings of uncommonly ugly sweaters. With its offbeat humor and terrific use of language, it would make a superb choice for a lively read-aloud. Though the fastidious Lester with his exceedingly good manners is a bit unusual, the dilemma he faces is a fairly common one, and this book could launch a classroom discussion about young children’s own experiences with receiving unwanted gifts, and the trade-offs that are made within families between honesty and kindness. It would make an inventive resource for a lesson on hobbies or crafts, or for children’s own craft projects as well.