When I was a teenager, my mother sewed me a quilt, but when I moved to Wales and discovered Welsh antic quilts, my interest became a passion. These bold red and black flannel patchworks with intricate quilting seem contemporary but date back to the 19th century. I have been painting them and have learned a lot about their history and how they have provided income and artistic expression for women over the years. It’s a pleasure to see that this passion is shared by so many people worldwide, and I’m fascinated by all the stories these beautiful objects hold.
This is a picture book about a family migrating from Wales to America at the turn of the 20th century, leaving all their belongings behind except for a quilt that comforts the little girl as she travels and settles in a new country.
The story deals with migration, longing, and belonging and gives a snippet of Welsh history and the craft of making a quilt.
I love the storyline of this book, the rhythm in the words, and the beautiful illustrations that remind me of American folk art paintings. It’s a delight to read aloud to my children, and it’s easy for them and for me to empathize with the main characters as they have to move and adapt to a new life.
After a move to a new home, comfort comes from a surprising place.
Long ago, a young girl named Abigail put her beloved patchwork quilt in the attic. Generations later, another young girl discovers the quilt and makes it her own, relying on its warmth to help her feel secure in a new home.
This beautiful picture book reads like a swirling dance. I have loved following the women of this family through generations, seeing how they keep traditions alive, and living with their time as well. The people and places are drawn in a sepia tone while the quilt is painted in bright colors, which is aesthetically very pleasing to me and helps put the focus on what transcends generations.
I also love a children's book that doesn’t patronize children, can deal with more difficult matters (like illness and death…), and is hopeful without overdoing it.
"We will make a quilt to help us always remember home," Anna's mother said. "It will be like heaving the family in backhome Russia dance around us at night. And so it was. From a basket of old clothes, Anna's babushka, Uncle Vladimir's shirt, Aunt Havalah's nightdress and an apron of Aunt Natasha's become The Keeping Quilt, passed along from mother to daughter for almost a century. For four generations the quilt is a Sabbath tablecloth, a wedding canopy, and a blanket that welcomes babies warmly into the world. In strongly moving pictures that are as heartwarming as they are…
I love this children’s book about languages and how quilting can become a metaphor for our patchwork society, with differences and unity.
I particularly liked the Arabic words scattered here and there without an immediate translation (there is a glossary at the end), and it was fun to try to make sense of them by the context and empathize with the characters as they learn to live a bilingual life.
That night, Kanzi wraps herself in the beautiful Arabic quilt her teita (grandma) in Cairo gave her and writes a poem in Arabic about the quilt. Next day her teacher sees the poem and gets the entire class excited about creating a "quilt" (a paper collage) of student names in Arabic. In the end, Kanzi's most treasured reminder of her old home provides a pathway for acceptance in her new one.
This authentic story with beautiful illustrations includes a glossary of Arabic words and a presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents.
This book is a real joy to read, with a particular story of a particular family but a universal feel to it. It could be my story or yours. The illustrations have the charm of the eighties, but the story doesn’t feel dated, and it is really inspirational to get quilting or think about which pieces of fabric I would use to tell my family’s story.
Twenty years ago Valerie Flournoy and Jerry Pinkney created a warmhearted intergenerational story that became an award-winning perennial. Since then children from all sorts of family situations and configurations continue to be drawn to its portrait of those bonds that create the fabric of family life.
I loved the naïve storyline and the skillful appliqué quilts that the author made to illustrate the story. This book is so different from anything I have read. The illustrations have rich earthy colours.
The take on the story of Noah’s ark is brilliant, and I love Janet Bolton's truly unique voice.
