Sophie Blackall Story Rug Picture Book

Flora

October 15, 2026

A sweet story about creativity and working together as a group

This review is for the book: Story Rug

Story Rug is a nicely written easy read about a classroom that's learning to braid. When one of the student's can't find something to braid, his teacher offers him a rag to tear into strips. This small beginning sparks an enthusiasm that follows him home. When he runs out of fabric his father comes to the rescue with an old shirt that allows the project to continue. When he returns to the classroom with his braid, the children in the class add on to his project. The project continues to grow as the children add on more fabric braids made from cloth they found in their homes. Their combined efforts make such a big braid that they coil it together to make a rug to surprise their teacher.

The story brings all the children together along with pieces of their lives from home. Each contribution becomes part of something everyone helped to create. It's a lasting accomplishment that they can take pride in.

I particularly love the illustrations in the book. They're a warm and folksy, hand drawn style with expressive faces, rich colors and visible crayon like textures. The patterned fabrics, cozy rooms and somewhat imperfect lines give the pictures charm and warmth that fits the story beautifully.

I love this story of discovering a new skill, sharing ideas and making something special together.

It Is Quiet in Class 203...

In classroom 203, everyone is quiet....

This was written with a lot of intention; appreciating the harmonious group of a classroom, teachers and their life-giving impacts, and what a little ingenuity and creativity can do when everyone works together, even with what seems like "scraps"!

Awesome story. 5/5.

The illustrations aren't my favorite, but the story is so nice, no stars deducted.

A classroom coming together by braiding a rug

This book has a different feeling/vibe than I’d expected, although the message of coming together to make something beautiful was what I’d hoped, being meaningful and quite touching in the final pages.

I liked the story, but felt that it was too obvious in pushing to be inclusive, and I also felt like the style of the illustrations was a bit messy. But I enjoyed how one kid’s idea became a group project of braiding a whole rug, with many pieces of cloth coming together that each have their own story.

I'm not sure how often my kids (or I) will want to revisit this story, but I like the idea of making a hand-braided rug and there are instructions for that project in the back of the book.

Such a cute book!

Upon reading this book, I was instantly impressed by the illustrations and the attention to detail throughout the book.

This book is vibrant in color, and the message of the story is so sweet! I really love that this book talks about coming together to make something happen, wshowing the power of teamwork and what happens when we unite with one another! The added instructions at the end of the book on how to create our own braided rag rug is also a nice touch! I really enjoyed reading this book to my children, and they enjoyed it too! A great read, and the quality of this book is also wonderful! Very happy with this book.

Beautiful book and story

This Story Rug book was so charming! The illustrations are so colorful and engaging, and my 7 year old listened intently to the story of how a classroom ends up braiding a rag rug made from scraps that represent each child. It was a really beautiful story, and includes a brief tutorial on how to make a braided rag rug at the end of the book. My 10 year old daughter was excited to try this, but let's just say it seemed to go easier for the children in the book than in real life! There were tears and frustration, and we ended up just taking a break, so be prepared for that possibility if you have a perfectionist child like mine haha. Otherwise, highly recommend!

Shannon Nicole

September 24, 2026

Not a book I’d buy. Not visually appealing for a youngster.

I was happy to give this book a try, but unfortunately one of the pages was ripped out, which really sucks!! I was making a video skimming through and I found it then!!! I hate that. Like whyyyy. A missing page makes the book feel useless to me because you’re not getting the complete story, and it arrived damaged. As far as the actual book goes, I’m not hating on it at all, I just don’t think the illustrations are very eye-catching. The faces especially are kind of creepy to me, and personally, I just don’t find the pictures visually appealing. I probably wouldn’t choose to read this one to my 4-year-old either. I do understand the special meaning behind the story. I like the idea of everyone contributing pieces of fabric with their own stories and memories and turning them into one big rug. That’s a really sweet concept about creativity, sharing, and bringing everyone together. It’s just that this particular book isn’t for me or my kid. I personally wouldn’t buy this book. The story itself has a cute message, but the artwork just doesn’t catch my attention, and with a page already ripped out, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for my own bookshelf. Not worth the price. Pass!

0:34

We liked this well enough, not as engaging as some books

I got this book to read with my kids. They found it somewhat engaging though perhaps a little dry. I however found the story very sweet, and i like the message of teamwork woven throughout. The instructions at the end for making your own story rug were also a nice touch. It's only a four star book in my opinion because my kids didn't find it as entertaining or interesting, but I like the message and thought it was pretty good overall. I think this would be a good read aloud for a classroom.

Great book and I completely recommend it

I really enjoyed this book, and as a schoolteacher since 1978, I loved that it is set in a classroom with creative students who get along. I have a rag rug and have always loved how rag rugs and quilts reuse clothing and bring back memories of when you used that apron or baby's dress. The author has created memorable children, and I hope this is the first in a series featuring these children in this class. I want to see them again. Each class member ends up bringing something to use, like Meena's nani's sari, Mabin's mom's skirt, and Emma's tablecloth. The students work together and create something. At the end are directions for children who want to make their own rag rug using items from their family. The illustrations are warm-toned and colorful, capturing how each child is special. The writing is at a high second-grade readability level, but this would work as a read-aloud in Kindergarten and First Grade. I really enjoyed this book, and I have been a schoolteacher since 1978! The story is set in a classroom with creative students who get along well. I have always loved rag rugs and quilts for their ability to reuse clothing and evoke memories of items like old aprons or a baby’s dress. In the story, each class member brings something special to contribute, such as Meena's nani's sari, Mabin's mom's skirt, and Emma's tablecloth. The students work together to create something beautiful. At the end of the book, there are directions for children who want to make their own rag rug using items from their families. The illustrations are warm and colorful, capturing the uniqueness of each child. The writing is at a high second-grade readability level, but it would also be suitable for read-aloud sessions in Kindergarten and First Grade.

It's giving desperate

Did you ever read an older classic, many time award winning children's book? And think to yourself "oh yeah, I can see why this is so loved?". Well apparently these author/artists did too and they decided to combine their powers into this "instant national best seller" (which is prominently displayed as a reason to buy the book, but is actually as a massive red flag).

I'm not saying this book is pretentious, or that it "insists upon itself", but it definitely has all the things that make me think this was written with the idea of "how can we incorporate all the award winning points on the super awesome legacy chart topper rubric into a book". AKA Award Baiting.

We got the little side jokes to make mom/dad chuckle.

We got the painfully obvious inclusivity (a la Magic School Bus) where the classroom is perfectly proportioned by gender, race, and the visually disabled.

We got the classic hand crafted object BUT CARRIES METAPHORICAL SIGNIFICANCE plot line.

Visually distinctive "please gimme award sticker" illustrative style in classic color palette.

We get hit over the head with the "generational, enduring familial memories" theme which is so hot right now (thanks encanto).

We got big universal themes presented in tiny relatable (?) domestic story. Classic.

It's the kind of book that screams to librarians "BUY ME" because you might as well change the title to "Rug that tells you sTorYs aRe iMpoRtANt"

I'm not going to rate it poorly just because it made me roll my eyes. I just think we need to recognize that we can have children's books with themes and deeper meanings, but they do need to be a beloved kids book first and an award winner second. Sometimes a book can just be a book, it doesn't need to win prizes in prestigious children's lit out of the gate.

My child enjoyed this book as much as they enjoyed any other book, but it wasn't anything special. It really felt like an amalgam of like 20 other books we have.