Book Review: "The Keeping Quilt" by Patricia Polacco

Polacco, Patricia. The Keeping Quilt. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988.

"The Keeping Quilt" is a touching story about the author's, Patricia Polacco, family history and the quilt that has been there through out their lives in America. This keeping quilt is made out of Patricia's Great-Gramma's dress and babushka and other clothing from family and friends. The quilt was used for many religious holidays, different events and was the wedding huppa for each generation of daughters. Through out the story readers notice how the times are changing between each generation, for example how the guests at the weddings behave and even the minor changes in the contents of the handkerchief that is present at each wedding and at the birth of a child, but the quilt always is there exactly how it was many many years ago. This aspect is shown beautifully through the illustrations by they only thing colored on the pages is the quilt representing the staying power of not only the quilt, but the family and its traditions.

After reading this story it brought a tear to my eye. I thought it was very sentimental and not only told the story of Patricia Polacco's family, but also the strong Jewish traditions that even after going through some alterations still hold the same values they did long ago. Patricia Polacco is an insider author of Jewish literature and with this book won the Sydney Taylor award from the Association of Jewish Libraries. Making this book feel even more authentic was the mention of different religious terms, such as wedding huppa, and describing the way things were and how they are today in Jewish tradition. I think that this book is a great edition to any classroom library, about K-3 or 4th grade, because it shows an accurate and positive view on Jewish culture and tradition that only an insider can bring to the pages.