*A Knot Is Not a Tangle by Daniel Nayeri

A young boy learns from his grandmother to make a knot from a tangle and that no rug is perfect. That’s not its purpose.

*A Knot Is Not a Tangle by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Vesper Stamper. Knopf, 2025. 48 pages.

• Reading Level: Picture books, ages 4-8
• Recommended For: Ages 4-8

The old rug is fraying. It’s time to make a new one. A young boy is going to learn how to make the new rug with his grandmother, much like she learned to make the now-old one with her grandmother.

First, they must wash the wool, card the wool, spin the wool, die the wool…. So many steps! The young boy is determined to make the best rug ever, but his grandmother reminds him over and over that each rug has a purpose. They will make a rug that suits their purpose. His grandfather says it will be the best rug for them.

When the boy and his grandmother get to the knot-tying phase, the boy struggles to make knots as perfect as his grandmother’s on their old loom. His are tangles. But she gently swoops in and makes knots out of the tangles. She even puts an imperfection into the rug on purpose! She tells him it’s the “Persian flaw.” “Nothing in this world is perfect, and nothing should pretend to be. Our job is only to make knots out of the tangles.”

At last the rug is finished. And it is beautiful. And it is perfect for them.

Stamper’s illustrations add so much to Nayeri’s simple, spare words. A Knot Is Not a Tangle is an excellent illustration of a picture book in which illustrations and text are both essential and both complement the other. It’s hard to read this book as a Christian without thinking how much like the wool we are, and how much like a master weaver the Lord is. He weaves our lives together into one perfect rug that suits His purpose. Our knots are not tangles. He knows just how to make them beautiful.

Bottom Line: A Knot Is Not a Tangle is an excellent title to use to showcase another culture and its art. It is also a terrific story in its own right.

*indicates a starred review, the best of the best in its field

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Reviews: We’re fans of this team. For other books by Daniel Nayeri, check out Everything Sad Is Untrue (starred review), The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams (starred review), The Teacher of Nomad Land (starred review), The Bizarre Bazaar, and Drawn Onward (starred review).
• Reviews: Vesper Stamper is the author of Berliners (starred review), A Cloud of Outrageous Blue, and What the Night Sings (starred review). Stamper has illustrated lots of books, including Amazing Abe.
• Resource: We’ve interviewed Daniel Nayeri several times, once for the website, and twice for our Quarterly print magazine (The Road Trip Issue and The Feasting Issue).

You may purchase A Knot Is Not a Tangle from Amazon

We received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher in return for a fair, unbiased review.