The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco is a book about an immigrant family from Russia and the quilt the Mama makes from fabric they brought from their homeland. The quilt is passed along through generations and used as, among other things, a birthday tablecloth, baby blanket, wedding huppa, and death shroud.
My favorite thing about this book, aside from the incredible art, is the family portrait it paints of "in-tact" family traditions. I love that the story shows different generations from an immigrant family, and how culture and tradition are passed along.
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey This book was first published in 1948, but in many ways feels timely and fresh for today. I love the art in this book; I will probably say that about most of the books on this list because, for me, art is an incredibly important part of what makes a great kids book.
My favorite thing about this book, aside from the incredible art, is the family portrait it paints of "in-tact" family traditions. I love that the story shows different generations from an immigrant family, and how culture and tradition are passed along.
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey This book was first published in 1948, but in many ways feels timely and fresh for today. I love the art in this book; I will probably say that about most of the books on this list because, for me, art is an incredibly important part of what makes a great kids book.
Blueberries for Sal follows a mama and child as they pick blueberries to preserve for winter.
There are several things that I appreciate about this book. First, the themes of self sufficiency and providing for our own food needs, (from the wild, in this case.) I love that they are foraging and canning.
Another aspect of this book I love is the mama and child's relationship with the bear mama and child. Their relationship is one of neighbors sharing a living area. The human mom is certainly surprised to see the bear cub, and not her child, following her, but the story gives the sense of the humans and other animals being able to co-exist.
The thing I love the most about this book, especially for the era in which it was written, is the gender presentation of Sal, the child. Sal has androgynous looks and name, and even though she is referred to as "she," doesn't fit neatly into a gender stereotype.
Aside from being pretty progressive for a book from 1948 to show a little girl getting dirty in overalls, it is also a beautiful picture of an adult respecting a child's autonomy. Sal is not hovered over, but allowed to explore, graze and have adventures at her own pace.
And did I mention how beautiful the pictures are?
blueberries for sal was such a big part of my childhood. i always believed it was set on mt. rainier.
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