Publisher's Weekly Review
Heikkilä offers a tenderhearted Christmas story with airy images that evoke the feeling of a world in miniature. Nina the cat lives in a cardboard box on a snowy urban street. Though "the floor was icy and cold air came through the door," her red sweater is "warm and woolly." As she wanders through the town--and its plum-colored roofs, smoking chimneys, and behatted animal friends chatting communally--readers will observe Nina's sweater catching on a branch, then beginning to unravel, leaving behind a trail of yarn. Soon, her belly is cold, and though a mouse tries to alert her to the problem, Nina walks on until there is "only a long strand of yarn left." Unbeknownst to the feline, Ms. Badger has been gathering the yarn, and when Nina follows the trail, it leads her to a forever home. Readers may be gently encouraged to exercise generosity with others--whether they be on two feet or four. Ages 3--8. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
A warm tale for Christmastime.Nina the cat has a "house," which the illustrations depict as a small, cardboard box in an alley. The opening lines tell readers that "the floor was icy and cold air came through the door," but the accompanying image shows Nina wearing a red-striped sweater that covers her legs and body from neck to tail. Is this the eponymous Christmas sweater? Not exactly. As Nina ventures from her cardboard house, readers will note that a red strand of yarn is trailing from her sweater, unraveling it page after page. She doesn't notice as she traipses by caroling mice and other creatures. By the time she does realize that "her belly [has] started to get cold," the yarn is completely unraveled and is "being pulled away and beginning a journey of its own." Nina follows in hot pursuit through illustrations that show various perspectives of the city and slapstick scenes of the cat crashing into other animals as she tries to catch the yarn snaking away from her. Then the yarn leads to a bookstore, in which she finds Ms. Badger, humming and knitting in a wingback chair. The ending is as abrupt as Nina's realization that she's lost her sweater: Nina arrives, Ms. Badger offers her tea, and then with the page turn, the bookstore is named as Nina's new home.A cozy cat tale, if too-quickly resolved. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A city cat, Nina lives under a cardboard box on the sidewalk. It's cold there in winter, with an icy floor, but Nina wears a warm, woolly sweater. Leaving home, she doesn't notice that it's unraveling into one increasingly long strand of red yarn. Snow falls as she walks along, feeling colder as her sweater grows shorter. Finally she notices the trailing yarn and follows it back to a bookshop, where Ms. Badger welcomes her with a cup of tea and a chair by the fire. Sitting beside Ms. Badger, who knits with red yarn, Nina enjoys her cozy new home. The nicely worded text offers a simple, satisfying story, while the charming, digital illustrations suggest a trace of magic in the air. Heikkilä, a Swedish illustrator, creates a town populated by genial, warmly dressed animals who sing carols, shop, and gather to chat outdoors. While some scenes depict characters against plain, white backgrounds, others include picturesque buildings in a subtle array of juxtaposed colors. An inviting picture book with a touch of Christmas cheer.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2010 Booklist
