11-year-old crochet prodigy Jonah Larson, who taught himself the craft via YouTube at age five, has landed a book deal for his debut release, Hello, Crochet Friends! Wisconsin-based KWiL Publishing will release the book in July, after an article in the La Crosse Tribune about Larson went viral.
. Response to the initial article led to media coverage on “Good Morning America” and other national outlets; the crochet wunderkind was so inundated with requests he had to turn down “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
According to KWiL Publishing Founder and President/Publisher Abby Nies Janowiec, the deal came about quickly after she heard about Jonah’s crocheting talents through social media. “I contacted Jonah’s mother, Jennifer, on Saturday, February 9th,” Janowiec said in an interview. “At that time, she had also been contacted by several much larger publishing houses.
detailing the contents reads in part, “Jonah welcomes readers into his process, sharing everything from his preferred crocheting atmosphere―end of sofa, lights dimmed, close to his mom―to his favorite stitches and yarns. How Janowiec elaborated on her interest in publishing this particular title. “First and foremost, I wanted to help get Jonah’s story into the hands of young readers,” she said.