The Hueys in The New Sweater

All of the Hueys looked alike. They also all acted and dressed alike. Until, that is, the day that Rupert knitted a bright new orange sweater and made himself stand out. Some of the other Hueys weren't sure that they approved - didn't Rupert know that they were all supposed to be the same?!? - but his friend Gillespie decided he too wanted a sweater. So began a trend, with all the Hueys jumping on the bandwagon. Soon Rupert had to find a new way to stand out...

The first of four picture-books featuring that crowd of creatures known as Hueys - subsequent titles include The Hueys in It Wasn't Me, The Hueys in None the Number, and The Hueys in What's the Opposite? - The Hueys in the New Sweater explores the nature of conformity and show more difference, and how sometimes everyone is the same, in wanting to be different. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that everyone wants to be special. I got a chuckle out of Rupert's discovery that being different isn't quite so simple, when you become a trend-setter, and appreciated (as always) Oliver Jeffer's amusing, scribble-style illustrations. Recommended to all fellow Jeffers fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about standing out (or not) from the crowd. show less

A fun little book about being different and setting trends. It could be about how little siblings always copy older siblings, or about trying to set yourself apart from the pack only to have the pack follow you (see [b:Stephanie's Ponytail|285740|Stephanie's Ponytail|Robert Munsch|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348256170s/285740.jpg|3302964]). It could be about a bigger kind of conformity and difference, too.

Jeffers' Hueys have so much humor and pathos for such simple little pencil drawings. It's really great.

Side note: Oliver Jeffers often draws noses on this charaters' foreheads. What's up with that?

The Hueys are all the same...until Rupert knits a nice new orange sweater. Most of the other Hueys are horrified, but Gillespie "thought being different was interesting." He knitted a sweater to match, so "he would be different too!" Eventually the trend catches on and all the Hueys are wearing matching sweaters. The text reads, "Before long, they were all different, and no one was the same anymore": but of course, the illustration shows a bunch of identical Hueys. Then Rupert decides to wear a hat...

See also: The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

The Huey's in the New Sweater, written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, is a wonderful book about how as we strive for individuality, we can't help but end up looking just like everyone else. That doesn't mean we shouldn't keep trying, though! The Huey's are all the same, until one of them decides he wants to be different. So, he knits himself a sweater, and soon enough the entire town has the same sweater. The pencil drawings are simple and wonderful, and pops of color are strategically placed throughout the book. Grades K-3.

Oliver Jeffers is one of my favorite author/illustrators! His illustrations are always so unique, but are consistent in everyone of his stories. That is one of the things that I love about his books. In this book, the Hueys are little people that look like thumbs with stick legs and drawn with a pencil. They are not difficult to draw and do not include a lot of detail. The illustrations look like they were drawn by a child. That is what makes the book so interesting for children! It is not intimidating to kids, just enjoyable.

Another thing that I love about this book specifically is the story line. One of the Hueys was complaining about them all being the same or looking the same, he just wanted to be different. That Huey decided to show more make a sweater to be different from the others. Then, as Oliver Jeffers wrote "..different started to catch on..." The Hueys all had a matching sweater at the end of the story. Rather than them realizing they were all the same again, the Hueys felt like they were all different together just because they were different from their original look. It is so funny how crazy that sounds! It makes the book really great for children and adults because it gives a good laugh.

The overall message of the story is that it is alright to be different and to stand out from the crowd. Although this book showed a leader and followers example with the sweater, the Hueys were focusing on being different and they sort of succeeded. They wanted to be unique when at first it seemed like they would always be the same. Great story for students to understand to be yourself, especially since it showed a leader and followers scenario. show less

I enjoyed “The Huey's in the New Sweater” by Oliver Jeffers, especially for the end pages. The front end pages, all the Huey's, little things that look like eggs, look the same; however, on the back end pages, they are all dressed differently. For example, one Huey is playing baseball, another is playing the drums, and another is ice skating. This story's message was what truly stuck out to me, being different is good no matter how others react. Another neat thing about this book was the language used by the Huey's. They spoke in very simple noises, but their noises fit the situations perfectly. Some examples of the words they use are “want” “eh?” and “Oh!”.

The Hueys look the same, think the same, act the same, until one of them decides to be different. Rupert decides to knit a sweater for himself and he wears it everywhere. Some of the Hueys like his idea, and some criticize him. He ignores comments and compliments and helps his friend knit a sweater also. The story is mainly about individuality. The Huey wants to change that and be different from everyone else. He accomplishes that and gets everyone else trying to be different also. I like how the story tells the reader that just because it's different, it doesn't mean is wrong.