Review of Sock Lobsters

[Black Jewel]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Sock Lobsters" by Michelle Bulriss.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Sock Lobsters is a delightful children’s book written and illustrated by Michelle Bulriss. In it, we meet a grandmother deciding what to knit with a magical ball of red yarn. After much thought, she decides to knit a pair of lobster socks for her beloved adult granddaughter, Emily. While knitting the socks, her love for her granddaughter imbues the magical yarn and brings the lobsters to life. Once finished, she sends the lobsters off by mail to Emily.

Emily is surprised when she receives the magical socks. She quickly learns that the left sock is named Sebastian, and this sock only sees the dark side of life. Sebastian grumbles most of the time, while the right sock is named Lola. Lola sees only the joy and happiness aspect of life. Sebastian, Lola, and Emily become fast friends in spite of their differences.

One day, Emily takes the socks to the laundromat to be washed. On the way home, Lola falls out of the basket and is left behind. Sebastian, safely back at home, goes through the stages of grief because he did not notice Lola’s absence until it was too late. Do not fear, however. This cute and original story has a happy ending, bound to delight both children and parents.

I loved the stunningly vibrant artwork found throughout this book. I also appreciate how realistic the pictures appear. I believe these were very well done. There were also no noticeable errors while I was reading, and I believe this book to be professionally edited.

While I understand that getting a point across in such a short story can be difficult, I would have preferred seeing the stages of grief expanded on a bit more in this book. Also, they happy ending somewhat trumps the theme of emotional management in my opinion.

However, I still believe this story deserves to be rated 4 out of 4 stars. The art and color scheme are what really makes this book pop. This book is most likely going to be found to be highly appealing for the advertised age group. Though most likely not intended, it might also spark some curiosity about hand made crafts, such as knitting. I find this to be a bonus, as my experience has taught me that knitting can be emotionally calming in stressful times.

For this reason, I believe both children and their parents will find this to be a satisfactory book. I also believe it will be a nice way to introduce the concept of grief management, regardless of the brevity of the subject. I would recommend it to all children as a result.

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Sock Lobsters
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