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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
There is something so incredible about Patricia Polacco's books. So much love, history, and heart in every word and picture. The Keeping Quilt is no exception.
A quilt that serves as a remembrance of a Jewish-American family from Russia. The quilt is passed down through the generations, and the family story is retold when it is brought out for weddings, deaths, and birthdays.
(I wasn't fond of the illustration, but the story was quite moving.)
(I wasn't fond of the illustration, but the story was quite moving.)
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
A sweet family story. And layered on top of that is changes over time - of customs and clothing and hair and dancing. And on top of that a reminder that things really don't last forever. I'm not sure that this truly works as a read-to-me picture book. And I certainly don't have anything equivalent in mind mind that comes to mind. But touching nonetheless.
Okay, I am a sucker for anything by Polacco and after hearing her talk about this and having her show the audience the original quilt that the book is written about...well...definitely an awwww...
Illustrations are somewhat different from Polacco's typical style but definitely fits the book.
Illustrations are somewhat different from Polacco's typical style but definitely fits the book.
A girl is telling the story about her great grandma Anna. She wore the same clothes that she wore as a farmer in Russia, but in the United States that was not her profession anymore. When she went to school English sounded strange, but in 6 months she learned the language and even had to speak it for her parents. The only things she had from Russia was her dress and hat. When she became too big for the dress, her mother and the ladies from the neighborhood made a quilt from all of the clothing from Russia. When Anna grew up she fell in love and her husband to be gave her tokens like salt and gold to symbolize different aspects of their marriage. When they had a child she was wrapped in the quilt and was given the same gifts plus bread that Anna had gotten earlier from her husband. This time the quilt was used as the wedding hoopla for Carly's wedding. When she had her daughter Mary-Ella she was wrapped in the same quilt. The quilt was also used to keep Great Grandma Anna warm. When Mary-Ellen got married she used the quilt for her hoopla as well and for her daughter who was born. When the narrator was married she used the quilt for her wedding and to wrap her daughter traci louise in and one day she will do the same at her wedding.
This story was truly beautiful and the star of the story was the quilt. This quilt followed her Great Grandma Anna from Russia and started as a dress and became a quilt to be passed down from generation to generation. In the story the only thing that had color was the quilt, the rest was in black and white. This allowed for emphasis on the quilt and we followed it through its original form as a dress and to the first wedding. We followed it through weddings and births of 5 different generations and the details on the quilt remained the same throughout. The historical accuracy was also there in following an immigrant from Russia early in the development of the United States and describing what these people brought with them from home, nothing. It also showed how she had to learn English and her family had different professions in the new world.
This story was truly beautiful and the star of the story was the quilt. This quilt followed her Great Grandma Anna from Russia and started as a dress and became a quilt to be passed down from generation to generation. In the story the only thing that had color was the quilt, the rest was in black and white. This allowed for emphasis on the quilt and we followed it through its original form as a dress and to the first wedding. We followed it through weddings and births of 5 different generations and the details on the quilt remained the same throughout. The historical accuracy was also there in following an immigrant from Russia early in the development of the United States and describing what these people brought with them from home, nothing. It also showed how she had to learn English and her family had different professions in the new world.
This story is fantastic. Patricia Polacco came and spoke at the elementary school where I student taught and she brought with her the keeping quilt. The students and teachers were in total awe. I am a big fan of her work.
I get choked up every time I read this autobiographical book. Ms. Polacco tells the story of her Russian ancestors who came to the United States and made a quilt to remind them of their homeland. Through six generations of women, the quilt served as a tablecloth, picnic blanket, wedding huppa, baby wrap, lap quilt, bedspread, and a cape or tent in Patricia's childhood imagination. The Keeping Quilt stirringly highlights the cyclical nature of life as children are born and grow up, get married and grow old, and die. The artful use of color emphasizes the power of the quilt as a symbol connecting their family throughout generations, stretching on and on. This is a definite favorite.
For more book reviews, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
For more book reviews, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
This is such a special picture book, and clearly a very personal one for Patricia Polacco. I love her illustrations in all her books, but in this one she uses pencil-gray to contrast with the bright colors of the quilt so effectively. The illustrations are incredibly evocative of black and white photos, and they're detailed and warm even before you take into account the pops of color. You can track the colors of the quilt from their first life as a dress and babushka worn by her great-great-grandmother, all the way through their second (and ongoing) life as part of the family's passed-down quilt. I think this would be a really interesting lap-read with a child and there are so many things to talk about! The weddings, the generations, the clothing, your own family traditions, how you celebrate and the bits of family you bring with you -- it would be an incredibly fruitful read!