The Quilt

I gave a little class on quilts and had the children help make thier own quilt for my daughter's kindergarten class. I purchased several children's books on quilts and read them to her. This is the only one that held her attention the whole time. So I took the book to her class and read it. (Had the kids say/yell "Sally" at the appropriate time to keep their interest.) Then I had them use fabric transfer crayons on some white paper to make their own quilt. I transferred their designs and made them each their own mini quilt from their images. They LOVED it and it helped introduce a new craft/art form to the children.

The concept of this book is wonderful: growing up while keeping in touch with one's past. Each cloth square offers a link to the little child's past, and as a collective unit--a quilt, they go with her to her "grown up" bed and into a world of imagination. Comfort and adventure are partnered in this cheerful bedtime tale. This story can teach the importance of relationships, historical-mindedness, heritage, and family connections. Quilts communicate--if one bothers to learn their languages--learns to decipher their patterns and symbols. Colorful, lively illustrations in this book will appeal to young children, especially those are learning colors and shapes. The "Sally" dog looks a bit like the dog on "Blue's Clues."

I bought The Quilt because I am planning on making quilts with my 4th Grade Art students next year. My students LOVE Ann Jonas' books, Round Trip and Splash. The Quilt does not disappoint. The Quilt takes the readers on an imaginary journey to far away places...using the patterns of the quilt to help illustrate the story. My Kindergarten and 1st Grade Art students are facinated with this book. The story may be a little young for the 4th Grade students, but I know they will still enjoy it and it will lead to a great discussion about quilts.

Growing up as a child I was fascinated by many books including those of Bill Pete, Dr. Suess, and the "Angelina Ballerina" series. My favorite book, however, was "The Quilt". I loved its delightful pages, each filled with a colorful quilt square and with a different story in its self. The book as a whole is a magical story of a girl who is looking at her quilt and ends up losing her blue stuffed dog, Sally, in it. Sally was, and still remains, my favorite character. As a child I loved looking at the detail of each quilt square, and the mystery of finding Sally. As my mother would read it to me I would often look up at her and cry "Where's Sally?". I would recommend this book to anyone because even now, at the age of 16, I am still in love with the illustrations, characters, and story.

The first time that I read this book was with a group of four-year-olds. They enjoyed it so much that they immediately asked to have it read again. The story and pictures draw one into an imaginative world. The little girl in the story is looking for her stuffed dog, Sally, who is lost in the quilt. The squares of the quilt become a wonderful landscape with the little girl calling, "Sally!" trying to find her dog. The second time through the story the four-year-olds were calling, "Sally," along with me as I read. Delightful!