Customer Reviews

The Josefina Story Quilt Book and Tape (I Can Read Book 3)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We never tire of Josefina's story. It was a great introduction to the western migration, and sparked my daughters curiosity about the prairie and the period. I would recommend it.

Please be aware that the beloved pet chicken dies before you allow your young child to read this book. My daughter was taken by surprise, and she sobbed and sobbed. This is a gripping story with fascinating historical details, but she really came to love Josephina and she was not prepared for her death.

Our seven year old loved this, kind of a "Little House on the Prairie" type story only vveerryy simple. A girl doesn't want to leave her hen behind on the trip west by covered wagon. In the end, the hen gets to tag along, and the events that ensue become quilt squares pieced together to make a quilt which the girl treasures long after the hen is gone. Cute, simple illustrations. Perfect length "chapters" for those to whom "chapters" are very important! :) Thumbs up.

My six year old kept checking out this book at her school library over and over. She can read the entire book to us. She even dressed up as Josefina for storybook character day at her school. It is a great book full of love and adventure. The first time you read it you will cry but your child will read it over and over again.

The Josefina Story Quilt, by Eleanor Coerr is a sad and happy book.

Faith is a girl and she has a pet hen, named Josefina.

Like lots of other families in 1850, Faith's family is going west to California. Faith wants to take her pet hen(Josefina) with them but her Pa says no. Finally her Pa lets her take Josefina along.

On the way lots of sad things happen:2 old people die along with 3 oxen. Faith makes quilt squares on the way to tell what's happening.

Josefina saves the day at the end.

I would reccomend this easy reader to you. It has a bittersweet ending. I say this book is 4 out of 5.

Have you ever taken a journey? In the old days people took a journey in a covered wagon. Josefina and her family are going to California in thier covered wagon. Many things happen to them on the way. Josefina makes a picture quilt to remember all the things that happened to them. My favorite part was when they crossed the river. I really liked this book, even though parts of it were sad. It was very interesting to read about the old days! Kaavia N.

I love this little book. It's the story of a family moving west. Faith wants to take her pet hen, Josefina, but her father doesn't want the trouble of bringing along a hen that no longer lays eggs. Faith finally gets her way, and the hen causes all kinds of trouble, but ends up redeeming herself. The reading level is perfect for second graders. There are short chapters and the exictement is high. Who knew a hen could cause such adventures? Each chapter has a quilt block to go with it. Faith works on the quilt blocks as they travel and each block tells a story about part of the journey. In the end they sew the blocks together to make a Josefina story quilt. I use this along with books such as The Quilt Story by Tomie dePaola and Patricia Polacco's The Keeping Quilt during a unit on quilts. All of my students enjoy this one!

The Josefina Story Quilt is an I Can Read book, which means it is aimed at beginning readers. The interior book flap of my library's copy says, "...I Can Read books introduce children to the joy of reading independently." Coerr's book is more likely to send them screaming away from books to watch cartoons.

My six year old was assigned this book in school. By sheer chance I read it first. She won't be reading it at all. I despise books with sad endings aimed at young children. It just seems cruel. I'm also concerned about assigning such a book, because that seems like an easy way to begin disenchanting a child with reading, school, or both.

I do not understand the necessity to have the main character's beloved pet die. Coerr kills off three oxen and two "old people" to show that the pioneers had a very difficult and dangerous journey. Each chapter features some new dangerous or sad development. So after all that the reader's reward is to have the hen die? That's the payoff?

Adding insult to injury, Coerr ends the book having Faith, the little girl, make a quilt patch about her hen Josefina. That, apparently, makes everything okay for Faith. Then why didn't she just kill Josefina before the trip and draw a picture of her to bring along instead?

There must be better books about pioneer life for beginning readers. For more advanced readers, of course, the Little House books are incomparable.

The Josephina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr. It is interesting because I learned that quilts made in the 1700's helped people remember the days going west.