#Review: The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy/ Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney #atozchallenge, #kidsbooks, #ReadingRainbowBooks, #CorettaScottKingAwards, #Multicultural

Summary: 

Tanya's grandmother is making a special quilt with pieces of clothes from the whole family.

But when she gets sick, will Tanya be able to finish the quilt for her?

My review:

This is a beautiful story about an art that is slowly fading. It is the art of quilt making which was once commonly done in families but is now disappearing as new generations do not want to learn how.

The grandmother in the story is wise as she teaches her grand-daughter the art of quilt making, she also teaches her how they can tell stories. Each piece tells the story of an individual in the family. Tanya learns this lesson and helps her family learn it too.

I loved the inter-generational workings of this family. Grandmother was depicted as someone who should be valued for her wisdom and ideas. She was someone who knows the stories of her family and the value in knowing those stories.

Another underlying message here is that there are times when families should take the time to cherish the things they have and that sometimes, those things are obtained by hard work and dedication. This is a lesson that we as a whole could learn from and maybe we need to return to as a society.

The book is full of line drawings that show facial expressions well. The background colors are done in muted browns, whites, grays, and yellows  that gives the reader a sense of age but yet colors pop off the pages from the clothing and quilt. I love this juxtapose. 

If everything in this review is not enough to convince you to purchase this book, then know that this is a Reading Rainbow Book and won the Coretta Scott King Award. It is well deserved.

5 stars!

Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own collection. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Where to find the author:

Amazon

Goodreads