The Name Quilt [Hardcover]

Phyllis Root (Author), Margot Apple (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A family history in patches and stories

Summer evenings at Grandma’s house always end just the way Sadie likes – with Grandma tucking her in with the name quilt. As Sadie chooses from among the patchwork of hand-stitched names of generations of relatives, Grandma tells story after story – stories of hog-riding and hornets and Grandma’s own wedding. Then one summer day, a fierce storm comes on too quickly to get the washing off the line, and the quilt is blown away. That night, Sadie worries that more than just the quilt has disappeared, until Grandma shows her that all her favorite names and stories are more a part of Sadie than she knows.

Phyllis Root’s loving tribute to a bedtime ritual from her own childhood and Margot Apple’s intricate illustrations bring the story of Sadie and the name quilt to the page with just the right touch of humor and heart.

 

The Name Quilt is a 2004 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-A quilt of memories and names binds Grandma and young Sadie to past loved ones and present adventures during summer vacations. "Grandma had a million stories in that quilt." Francis, Avonelle, Ida, Clayton, Joseph, Orrin-the child comes to know each of these ancestors through her grandmother's stories. Then a terrible wind steals the precious heirloom from the line where it hangs airing. The stories are still a part of their memories, though, and the next day Sadie and her grandmother begin a new quilt that includes patches of fabrics from their own lives. Root stitches together generations, memories, and traditions in this tale of a much-loved family treasure. Apple's soft pastels on full-bleed spreads bring a country feel to Grandma's house and history and provide a backdrop for the yellow boxes of text. Pair this book with Patricia Polacco's Keeping Quilt (S & S, 1988) for a comparison of tales with connection among generations and strength within families.
Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. Each night when Sadie goes to bed at Grandma's, she fingers the patchwork quilt on her bed, chooses a name embroidered there, and listens to her grandmother tell a story about that relative. One day a fierce wind tears shingles off the roof and blows the quilt off the clothesline. That night Sadie is tearful over losing the quilt, but she remembers name after name, and Grandma tells her story after story. The beloved quilt may be gone, but the family is still there. In the end, Grandma and Sadie make a new quilt, one with Sadie's name in the middle. In the artwork, as in the text of this warm comforting book, quilts become more than just bedcovers; they are personal keepsakes, reminders of family history, and colorful backgrounds for the characters' lives. Though warm, sunlit colors predominate in the illustrations, one particularly effective double-page spread uses darker shades to re-create the feeling of an approaching storm with swirling winds, driving rain, and the suggestion of a tornado in the distance. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux; First Edition edition (April 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374354847
• ISBN-13: 978-0374354848
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #544,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phyllis Root has written many award-winning books for children, including TEN SLEEPY SHEEP, OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY, ONE DUCK STUCK, WHAT BABY WANTS, RATTLETRAP CAR, and BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD, winner of the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quilt book, July 23, 2006

By 

Shirley Ann Brunkow "Story time leader" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Name Quilt (Hardcover)

An excellent read-aloud story for children. The text tells how quilts told stories and how the first quilts were made from materials at hand. This is an excellent book to read if you were planning on designing a quilt, real with cloth or with paper blocks, with younger children. The pictures are very well done with great colors.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Name Quilt By Phyllis Root, December 31, 2007

By 

A. Ryan "Kids and quilts" (Northern NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Name Quilt (Hardcover)

This was a very good book and would be wonderful for a class or a child that will be sewing a quilt for the first time

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great story!, March 9, 2010

By 

L. Roest "roestkys" (Cali) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Name Quilt (Hardcover)

After reading this book we decided to put a quilt together for this years Preschool class. I will be working on one for my own children for Christmas this year too. Such a touching story with traditions that would be worth handing down to your own family.