cover image My Grandmother's Patchwork Quilt

My Grandmother's Patchwork Quilt

Janet Bolton, Jane Bolton. Doubleday Books for Young Readers, $17.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-385-31155-7

Quilting how-to combines with a straightforward growing-up-on-the-farm tale to produce this picture book about a bygone bit of Americana. Grandmother presents her girlhood dolls' quilt to her granddaughter, the book's narrator, setting in motion a twofold story. On the left of each spread, the narrator chronicles the making of the quilt (``Grandmother drew pictures on paper of the different animals she wanted to sew''). On the right--in a different typeface--Grandmother tells of her daily farm routine (``Our two geese lived in the yard outside the back door''), each episode highlighted by a closeup view of a patchwork square. (The squares can be seen falling into place on a depiction of the quilt on the lefthand pages.) The book's final spread consists of a gatefold, with a large reproduction of the finished quilt and a historical note presented opposite a pocket containing fabric patterns for a doll's quilt and simple instructions. Bolton's commendable effort appears overcrowded, as if attempting too much in this necessarily brief format. Also, her subdued colors seem even less vibrant against the book's cream-colored pages. All ages. (May)