Bootsy is a penguin. She has a friend who is aptly named Penguin. They are the heroines of a (slightly modified) book distributed by Chick-fil-A called Penguin in Love, written by Salina Yoon.*
This little board book was given to Emily and I for our anniversary last summer by good friends. Surprisingly, there were only two pronouns that had to be changed in the whole book to make all characters female. The story features two penguins, Bootsy and Penguin who were both missing their yarn. They set off to find their it, knitting for warmth until inclement weather separates them. The story does not address the apparent paradox that they set off on a journey to find their missing yarn but had enough yarn to knit and keep warm. They both keep knitting while floating on ice floes and climbing snowy mountains and eventually they knit themselves back together.
As part of my tapestry diary, I wove a sketch inspired by Bootsy.** I think there may be two more little tapestries in the Penguin series.
Rebecca Mezoff, Bootsy, tapestry diary tapestry with Salina Yoon’s children’s book.
Here I am working on Bootsy in early September when it was still warm and sunny in Colorado.
And in December. One of the drawbacks of getting carried away with making copper pipe looms is that you have so many you can start a new project whenever you want to. Thus I didn’t have to finish Bootsy to use the loom for another project… so she languished until now. But that means when it is snowing out you can work on the Bootsy tapestry sitting on the couch next to the real Bootsy.
Bootsy is 4 inches square, woven at 12 epi with Weaver’s Bazaar 18/2 fine wool in the Fringeless technique. The pink is silk.
Rebecca Mezoff, Bootsy, tapestry diary piece, 4 x 4 inches
I have a whole sketchbook full of tapestry diary ideas that have not been realized. Time to get back to the loom!
Have you ever been inspired to make a tapestry or other artwork based on a children’s book? Let us know in the comments.
*No offense is meant to the author for modifying the story to make both penguins female. I’m sure she could have written many books with variously-gendered penguins though I suspect she could not have had them produced by Chick-fil-A or put in their children’s meals. I don’t think that company would be very supportive of same-sex penguin love. This little collectible book from Chick-fil-A is “based on Penguin in Love by Salina Yoon, published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books.” It does look like you can purchase the book in the non-Chick-fil-A version and given my boycott of that fast food chain due to social issues, I’d recommend that route should you want to read the story of Bootsy and Penguin for yourself.
**For those of you who will ask, since Bootsy is someone else’s character of course I am not selling or entering this piece in a show. She is part of my tapestry diary which is my own private work. Chill.