The Patchwork Quilt

• Title: The Patchwork Quilt
• Author: Valerie Flournoy
• Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
• Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Books USA
• Publication year: 1985
• Brief Summary: From Penguin Random House-“Twenty years ago Valerie Flournoy and Jerry Pinkney created a warmhearted intergenerational story that became an award-winning perennial. Since then children from all sorts of family situations and configurations continue to be drawn to its portrait of those bonds that create the fabric of family life.”
• Ideas for using this book in classroom or library –Again, I am not sure if this would relate to any type of curriculum because I feel this is just a slice of life type of picture book. I also have reservations about the publication date of 1985. While I liked this book as presenting an everyday look at an African American family’s life, I feel that there are newer publications that could be purchased for a school library. However, if interested, there is this Reading Rainbow episode that discussed this book and did a read aloud of it.
• Whatever additional notes you’d like to add about this book and why you liked or didn’t like it –While I do like Pinkney’s soft, watercolor illustrations in saturated hues, again, I think there are newer works that can be considered when weeding and purchasing for a school library. I do think this would work well in a public library setting, and for a read aloud.