Publishers Weekly Review
This 10th-anniversary edition of Polacco's family story about a quilt made from an immigrant Jewish family's clothing from their Russian homeland "adds a few squares to the original story with expanded text and art," noted PW. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved |
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2 Polacco's first-person voice moves her narrative forward gracefully from the time when her Great-Gramma Anna came to America during the last century to the present. Richly detailed charcoal drawings fill the pages of this beautifully conceived book. Particularly striking are the faces of the Russian Jewish immigrant families who people the pages. The only color used is in the babushka and dress of Great-Gramma Anna, which become part of a brightly hued quilt. Following that quilt through four generations is the basis of this account. Customs and fashions change, but family is constant, visually linked by the ``keeping quilt.'' Children will be fascinated by the various uses to which the quilt is put, although some of those uses make one wonder how its ``like-new'' shape was maintained. That stretch of the imagination is gentle, however, and does not mar the story. Readers who notice that the author and the narrator share the same name may realize that this lovely story is true; that should make it even more appealing. Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, Wis. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
Ages 4-7. The pieced quilt of this story is a link between generations. Polacco relates the story of her family heirloom, beginning with its first owner, Great-Gramma Anna, who came as a girl from ``backhome Russia'' and whose old dress and babushka give the quilt its memorable colors. Through the years, the quilt appears at weddings, deaths, births, and birthdays, always a reminder of the family heritage. Now, it is the turn of the newest female descendant of Anna to assume its ownership and traditions. Jewish customs and the way they've shifted through the years are portrayed unobtrusively in the story, which is illustrated in sepia pencil, except for the quilt, which sparks every page with its strong colors. Polacco's drawings have a raw, unpolished look, but her lines are true. Useful for the sense of history it presents to young viewers (especially in discussions of genealogy), this tale also carries a warm message on the meaning of family and can be nicely teamed with Tony Johnston's Quilt Story [BKL Ag 85]. DMW. |
Horn Book Review
The first edition of this picture-book memoir ended with Polacco holding her first-born daughter. Now she's added nine additional pages, which show her two children using the quilt in the same ways that their ancestors did--during play and to commemorate important family occasions. The new ending blends seamlessly with the rest of the story, but the white paper has less of an old-fashioned feel than the original creamy background. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |