The Patchwork Quilt, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Flournoy, V. (1985). The patchwork quilt. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

The Patchwork Quilt is a beautiful story of a young girl and her effort to help her grandmother make a quilt. This book received a Coretta Scott King award is beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. The thing that I most enjoyed about this book was the way that Tanya's grandmother included in her quilt a scrap of clothing from each member of the family. This makes it easy for the reader to see that Grandmother is a person who understands the value of family. I have a quilt that my mother made and gave me for my 16th birthday. Included in the quilt are scraps of cloth from clothes that I wore as a child and from clothes that my mom, dad, and brother wore. The Patchwork Quilt reminds me a book written by Jeff Brumbeau titled The Quiltmaker's Gift. Both of these books tell stories about a quilt and help the reader understand that quilts can be used as paths to friendship, learning, and memories.

The illustrator of this book, Jerry Pinkney, is a well-known and very talented artist. Some other books that he has illustrated include Song of the Trees, Riki-Tiki-Tavi, Home Place, and Sarney: A Life Remembered. Pinkney illustrates many African American cultural stories as well as folk-tales such as John Henry, The Ugly Duckling, and The Little Match Girl.