~ MMGM HISTORICAL EIGHT HANDS ROUND ~

 ~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE MONDAY

HISTORICAL NON-FICTION FEATURE ~

-- 'EIGHT HANDS ROUND' --

AUTHOR ANN WHITFORD PAUL

ILLUSTRATOR JEANETTE WINTER

 

 

FROM THE BACK COVER OF THE BOOK:

 

"Like a quilt that grows old gracefully, this book promises to become well-thumbed over the years." -- The New York Times Book Review

 

"Attractive and informative."  --ALA Booklist

Ages 8 up

ABOUT THE BOOK {FROM GOODREADS}:

"Paul provides information about pioneer life through speculation about the origins of 26 quilt patterns, one for each letter of the alphabet. The variety of colors and designs makes the quilts themselves the real stars of the book [and] will [encourage] students to develop their own creations in cloth or on paper." —SLJ. Outstanding Books of 1991 (NYT)
Notable 1991 Childrens' Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Books for Vacation Reading (NYT)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {FROM GOODREADS}:

ANN WHITFORD PAUL, author of 'TWAS THE LATE NIGHT OF CHRISTMAS has always been crazy for Christmas, but overwhelmed by it, too. Afterwards she is worn-out and dreams that someone like Mrs. Saint Nick could help her out with the resulting chaos and mess.

Ann graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University School of Social Work. She became inspired to write picture books after years of bedtime reading to her four children. She's published 19 different award-winning books. Now she gets story ideas from her three grandchildren. For ten years she taught picture book writing through UCLA Extension. She still enjoys teaching how to write picture books. When she isn't writing or teaching, she loves listening to her cat purr, watching spiders spin their webs and following snails' trails.

& MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR FROM AMAZON:

ANN WHITFORD PAUL graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University School of Social Work. She became inspired to write picture books after years of bedtime reading to her four children. Now she gets story ideas from her six grandchildren. She's published over 20 award-winning picture books, (rhymed and prose-fiction and nonfiction) poetry, early readers and a book for adults about how to write picture books. When she isn't writing, she loves listening to her cat purr, watching spiders spin their webs and following snails' trails.

***BONUS CONTENT: You can learn more about her, download writing tips and classroom activities, and contact her through her web-site: www.annwhitfordpaul.com

 

LINK TO A BIOGRAPHICAL BLOG POST ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

https://www.patriciamnewman.com/kidlit-creators/jeanette-winter-illustrator/

 

MY THOUGHTS:

This will be my final feature in my tribute to National Sewing Month for 2020. I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who left positive and heartfelt comments on my recent posts about sewing and quilting books. I enjoy hearing from you all, and I especially enjoy hearing of your experiences with and love of sewing, quilting,  and needlework. Thank you!

This book is similar to the book I featured last week in that it is also a historical non-fiction book for middle-graders documenting the history of twenty-six quilt blocks and their place in society at the time they were designed. This book was originally published in 1991. For example, A is for 'Anvil' discusses the trade of a blacksmith and the importance an anvil played in his work. 

The blocks featured include items found in nature such as the 'Maple Leaf', 'Honeycomb', and 'Flying Geese'. There are objects that were part of everyday life such as 'Buggy Wheel', 'Churn Dash', 'Log Cabin', and 'Windmill'. Clothing and accessories blocks include 'Grandmother's Fan', 'Necktie', and 'Queen Charlotte's Crown'. 'Kite's Tail' was a favorite of my students because the text discusses briefly how children used to make their own kites using paper or cloth.

 

Each entry includes an illustration of the subject matter, a close-up of one of the quilt blocks, and a picture of a quilt made using only that quilt block. The illustrations are detailed and colorful. The fabrics, fabric colors, and fabric prints depicted appear to be historically accurate. 

 

This is a fun read-aloud book because it seems that children of any age enjoy the pattern inherent to alphabet books. I highly recommend this for families, teachers, librarians, and others who work with children. I have my own treasured paperback copy of this book which I purchased from the book club.

 

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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.

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Find the links to more great 'It's Monday! What Are You Reading?' (#IMWAYR) posts for children's and Young Adult books over at the Unleashing Readers website.

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