Flying Geese

Set at the beginning of World War I, this is an well-written and touching tale about Margaret Brown who has been displaced from her Saskatchewan home and the migrating geese that Margaret and her father treasure. Through taking up quilting, which she learned from her late Grandmother, she works on the "flying geese" quilt pattern. This project helps her begin to deal with the rapid changes that have taken place in her life: the move to Ontario, her brother enlistment, her father's search for work so they won't rely on charity for survival, befriending Jean (who is considered "not respectable" by Margaret's stuck-up cousin, Pauline), and the difficulties that take place when her mother prematurely gives birth to her sister. This story is filled with little lessons about the changes in life and makes interesting connections to her grandmother's wisdom through Margaret's memories of quilting with her.