4/9/2016
"The Patchwork Quilt" by Valerie Flournoy
Copyright 1985, 32 pages
Realistic Fiction

Picture taken from Scholastic

I chose this book because I recognized the illustrator. Jerry Pinkney makes the most realistic-looking watercolor paintings. I love, love how the quilt looked. It must be a lot of work to make different patterns in each little box that all must blend together. I like how the people turned out, too. Tanya didn't look overly short to show her age, and her clothing aren't super childish either. On the cover she's wearing a long blue jeans, and a yellow polo shirt. We don't see her wearing a pink ruffled dress with flowers all over, or a big red bow on her hair. I don't know how little girls dress in 1985, but she looks pretty modern to me. Grandma is the same way. Yes, her hair is gray, and yes, we see some facial features that indicate age. But her hair is not comically white as if someone bleached it, and she doesn't have scary droopy eyes or crumbling teeth like the evil witch in Snow White (and I mean the original 1937 version, not Charlize Theron). Aside from physical features, I also like how Grandma wasn't depicted to be frail, confused or helpless. She's actually a strong figure that still decides things for herself. I was worried if the story is going to spin to a tear-jerker when Grandma fell ill, but I'm glad she recovered. I can almost feel how close Tanya's family is through this story, so I'm glad they got a happy ending.

As for the quilt itself, I like how Tanya's mom changed her opinion from considering it trash at first, to a collage of memories. There's also a sense of "appreciate little things" in the story, which in my opinion is an important lesson. I don't know how many grandmas - or anyone - still make quilts these days. But it sounds like it makes a great, meaningful gift. Maybe I should pick it up sometime.