The Quilting Bee

May 1, 2004
Gr 1-4-In this look at a quilting bee, the warm and friendly atmosphere of this social gathering quickly gets lost in a blur of patterns and text. Dozens of watercolor-and-ink illustrations depicting both scenes of people quilting and pattern squares are scattered about like a crazy quilt. Interesting facts about the design, construction, and history of quilts, as well as the origin of traditional patterns used by the pioneers, are ill served by the book's format and fonts, which make it difficult to distinguish the narrative from the numerous captions. On a more positive note, the author offers a wonderful idea for making an authors' and illustrators' quilt. For an informative, better-organized alternative, try Mary Cobb's The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days (Millbrook, 1995).-Teri Markson, Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, Los Angeles

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2003
K-Gr. 2. Perhaps inspired by picture books like Patricia Polacco's beloved "The Keeping Quilt" (1998), many teachers plan units on quilts to take advantage of their multiple curriculum connections. As usual, Gibbons proves herself in sync with such classroom trends with her newest nonfiction offering, which follows a contemporary "quilting circle," consisting of adults and two child helpers, from planning a new quilt to displaying it at the county fair. Historical background on quilting and on traditional American patterns, such as Road to California and Little Red Schoolhouse, enriches the simple text. Gibbons' bright watercolors serve the bold, geometric patterns well; however, it's a shame that most of the pattern blocks (a pattern's smallest repeating unit) are never depicted within a completed quilt, preventing readers from marveling at the designs in their full, kaleidoscopic splendor. A suggestion for a class project, involving sending favorite authors and illustrators cloth squares to be decorated and returned, will likely be greeted by teachers with enthusiasm. (Whether the authors and illustrators will oblige seems less certain.) (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)