The keeping quilt

by Patricia Polacco

Hardcover, 1988

Status

Available

Call number

E POL

Publication

New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1988.

Description

A homemade quilt ties together the lives of four generations of an immigrant Jewish family, remaining a symbol of their enduring love and faith.

Library's rating

Barcode

8

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member LeHack
As a quilter, I loved this book. The quilt has significant remembrances sewn into it and is handed down through generations. As the family gives the quilt various uses, they are able to remember ancestors and important events in their lives.
LibraryThing member Kmr10
This book is about a girl and when her Great-Grandma came over from Russia she only brought a couple items. Her Dresses and her babushka. Patrica's great-grandma ended up making a quilt using her babushka and other materials that were in the family. She thought by making this quilt with little
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parts of the family in it, that it could get passed down from generation to generation. This book shows family values and how a family tradition got started and sparked many family stories.
A teacher could use this book to show the students about what some familes do as a tradition or even sharing different cultures. How many children are going to know what a babushka is? I don't think very many. This could spark up a fun conversation among the students and learn about different cultures.
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LibraryThing member kidlit9
a quilt made of scraps from old clothes is used in various ways as an immigrant family grows and celebrates births, birthdays, weddings, and the Sabbath.
LibraryThing member nboria05
I didn't really care for this book as I was expecting something more from such a famous author. This was my first book that I have read by her, but had heard so many wonderful things about her before, but was disappointed. The children I was reading the book to lost interest after the first few
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pages, and they were 4 and 6 years old.
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LibraryThing member kshielee
The Keeping Quilt follows the story of a quilt as it is made and passed down through many generations. The author happens to be the one who is now in possession of the quilt, making this book a tracing of family and an autobiography. The illustrations in this story really help to show how times
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change throughout the lives of the people in the story, but the constant of the colorful quilt is always there. The older parts of the story could be hard for some people to imagine, but the pictures show wonderful detail about what times were like and how times change. Many emotions are also conveyed by looking at the various illustrations and what is occuring in the pictures. They are somewhat repetitive, but the reader would have a good idea of what the story is about just by looking at the pictures.
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LibraryThing member smilz23
A special quilt is made of old clothes from various family members and then passes from generation to generation. Beautiful charcoal drawings illustrate the story with the quilt being the only color.

Classroom Connections: This book would spark interesting conversations about items or stories passed
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from one generation to another, or about where families come from. It also presents some Jewish customs that could teach students about different religions.
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LibraryThing member marciaskidslit
Keeping Quilt teaches of family traditions and a very special family heirloom that is handed down through the generations. As each generation becomes more Americanized, the traditions remain the same; yet subtle changes are added by each bride. The story is also about keeping alive the memories of
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our ancestors. On each page or double-page spread, the quilt and person being discussed on that page are in color. Everything and everyone else are in black and white. This technique makes the quilt and the person so easy to find on the page. The plot tells a story that will be enjoyed by children from diverse cultures.
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LibraryThing member acwheeler
This book is about family heritage and keeping traditions.The charatcers used clothing to sew a quilt that was used for several generations. Very sweet book and very good book to teach about Jewish heritage and culture.
LibraryThing member ermilligan
This book is about family heritage and keeping traditions. The characters used clothing to sew a quilt that they used for several generations for a variety of purposes. It could be use to talk about traditions of other cultures.
LibraryThing member lauraejensen
Another exquisite book from Patricia Polacco. The keeping quilt follows the origins of a beautiful quilt. A beautiful story about immigration, and the life cycle. An emotional story, with sweeping, gorgeous illustrations from Polacco.
LibraryThing member djmeyers
As always, Patricia Polacco does a wonderful job of weaving her story of rememberance. It is kind of hard to pull off telling stories that have to do with your family to a reading audience and still make it relevant to the reader. She does it wonderfully by using the theme of the quilt in a variety
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of settings as well as thru many different generations. I love that the original quilt was compiled of scraps of many family members clothing. Being a visual learner, this pictorial type method would help me to remember my own family history! Russian culture is interweaved throughout the book, so you learn a lot about how weddings, funerals, birthdays, and births of new babies are celebrated in this culture. It was interesting to see the common denominator of the quilt despite changing times and relaxing of strict standards, primarily seen in the wedding depictions. Even though I do not know her family, I felt connected by the end of the book. I love her use of black and white sketches with only the quilt being colored so it is highlighted for the reader. While not a new book for me, it is a joy to read every time!
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LibraryThing member LacyPalmer
This story is about a family who moves to the United States from Russia. The mother tells her daughter she is going to make a quilt so it will be like having the family back from Russia dancing around them. The quilt was passed down from mother to daughter for four generations. Every year it tells
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a different story.
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LibraryThing member JessicaHill
The Keeping Quilt is a wonderful story that expresses the importans of family relationships and values. A little girl by the name of Patricia tells the story of a beautiful quilt cherished by her love ones. The quilt played a significant roll in important events throught four generations of her
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family. The quilt sybolizes the importance of family values and tradition which brings everyone closer when they are worlds apart. This heart warming story will have you amazed at how something so simple can mean so much. The Keeping Quilt is a excellent book for children begining first grade to third grade. It is not too easy to read but challenging enough and conveys the importance of family.
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LibraryThing member aecrozier
This story is about a quilt that was made many years ago when a young girl and her family moved to America from Russia. The Keeping Quilt was then passed down from mother to daughter for almost a century. For several generations the quilt serves as a tablecloth on Sundays, a wedding canopy, and a
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blanket for new babies that are born into the family. Then the quilt welcomed baby Patricia who used the quilt to play with and in her wedding as a wedding canopy. When her baby girl was born she wrapped her in the Keeping Quilt and will give it to her when she leaves home. I loved this book as a child because I have relatives from Italy and we have a lot of things that have been in the family for generations just like the quilt in this book. I would love to share this story with my class when I am a teacher.
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LibraryThing member rlhopper
The Keeping Quilt is about a quilt that is made out of various important pieces of clothing. Anna is the main character in this book. As she grows up, gets married, and even has children, the quilt is always with her. The quilt is made by Anna's mother and some other ladies in their neighborhood.
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This quilt is very important and meaningful because it is passed on for four generations. it is used during weddings as a cover. It is used to wrap up newborn babies to keep them warm. It is also used for table cloths.
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LibraryThing member jlowens4
I enjoyed reading "The Keeping Quilt". This book should be ready to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. This book has a more difficult plot and moral to follow. The book is about a family who comes from Russia and they have nothing left from Russia. So to be able to remeber Russia they take things
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such as a dress, apron, and an old shit and they cut it up to make a quilt. The quilt is then passed on from family to family and generation to generation to rember were the family came from. I think that this book teaches a wonderful lesson on valuing you family and their history.
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LibraryThing member AshleyCampbell
This book would be a good introduction to immigration, culture (Russian) and religious practices (Jewish). Since the book follows four different generations, it is a good way to study families and how times have changed.
LibraryThing member LanitaBostic
Patricia's great-grandma Anna moved to the US from Russia a very long time ago. When she moved here, she came in her Russian clothes: a babushka and a dress. When the clothes became too small her mother took them. She cut them and toher items from the family to make a quilt. When great-grandma Anna
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was married, she married under the quilt. When grandma Carle was born, she was wrapped in the quilt. Grandma Carle was married under the quilt. Patricia's mother, Marry Ellen was born and wrapped in the quilt. When Patricia's mother Marry Ellen married, she married under the quilt. Now when Patricia was born, she was also wrapped in the quilt. The quilt lasted through four generations of women of and will now move to Tracy denise: Patricia's daughter who was also wrapped in the quilt. Tradition was and still is very important to family. Patricia's family cherished the quilt for years and years.
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LibraryThing member eggiovanetti
This story is about a girl who's great grandmother came from Russia to America. She wanted to keep memories of her homeland, so her mother helped her to make a quilt. The quilt went on to servedifferent purposes for family members through generations such as weddings, births, blankets, and tents.
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In the end of the story, the quilt ends up with the girl who had wrapped her child in it, and would one day pass it on to her just as she recieved it.
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LibraryThing member jemilie
SUMMARY:
This multiculturism book is about a family who migrated to the United States from Russia but kept their culture alive by passing on a hand-made quilt. The quilt was made from things no longer in use such as an dress which was too small. This quilt shown in bright colors against the black
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and white pictures indicated that each generation had come to pass but the culture/tradition still exists. In this story , there is are differences in the way the Russians did things compared to the United States.For example, the Russians men engaged a girl by giving her a gold coin, a dried flower, and piece of rock salt all tied in a linen handkerchief, and if she accepted she was engaged. On the other hand in the US and some other parts of the world a diamond ring on the left hand is an engagement ring.
The story weht on further to explain that men and women in the beginning danced seperately. But as the years went on and new generations emerged, the culture of the western world began replacing old values and tradition of the Russian family to that of those of the Americans. The quilt which moved from generation to generation was used in every wedding as a symbol of, "gone but not forgetten."

PERSONAL:
I truly enjoyed reading this story. It is a close reminder of the stories told by late grandmother about how things were done long ago. It also reminded me of how quickly culture can disappear given time.This book is age appropaite for Grade ones to Grade four. Girls would most likely enjoy this book because of the weddings and engagements because most girls have a fantasy wedding in mind for some day.

CLASSROOM.:
For a Social Studies lesson based on the cultures around the world, the teacher will make use of the internet and smartboard to show weddings around the world ( at least five).

The can have a dissicusion about weddings they have been to wnd how they can be compered to those in the story.
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LibraryThing member kdelker
The Keeping Quilt tells the story of how a quilt made from scraps of clothes and a babushka was passed down through four generations of Russian, Jewish immigrants. The quilt was made for Anna to remember her family back home in Russia. The Quilt was many things over the years, a table cloth, huppa
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and a blanket to welcome home a new baby. The quilt binds together all four generations with stories and love.

I love the traditions that are passed down. I love how the family preserved their stories with the quilt. Some things changed like how men and women didn’t celebrate together but other things like the bread, salt and gold stayed the same.

We would talk about some of the different traditions in our families, how some are alike and some are different. We could invite family members in to share some of those traditions.
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LibraryThing member DaniBook
The author speaks of a family that immigrates to America to start a new life. The little girl in the story has a coat that she adores, and it was her "friend", as she outgrew the coat she made it into a quilt, eventually she passes it on to her own children. As her daughter grows and matures, she
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adds her own fabric to the quilt, every generation there after uses the quilt for birthday parties, to comfort their children and tell the story of their great great grandmother who started the family quilt. The stories also go into traditions and things that different cultures use to celebrate festive events.
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LibraryThing member STBA
A homemade quilt ties together the lives of four generations of an immigrant Jewish family, remaining a symbol of their enduring love and faith.
LibraryThing member hmz001
this book was an amazing story about a quilt that is used for many different things in a german family. The quilt is used for weddings, to wrap babies when they are born, and for everyday use. They author really helps you to visualize how her family felt about this quilt.
LibraryThing member cemccamy
This is the story of of Polaccos's Great-Gramma Anna's experiences in America.

It would be good to use in a lesson about family traditions or to teach children that they should accept another student regardless of their background.

ISBN

0671649639 / 9780671649630

Other editions

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