The Keeping Quilt

The Keeping Quilt (2001) by Patricia Polacco is a wonderful story about a Russian family’s traditions and how they are passed down from generation to generation. This is the story of a handmade quilt that is made out of special pieces of fabric from various family members. An uncle’s shirt and a grandparent’s shawl are just some of the pieces that make up this family quilt. The family recently immigrated to the United States from Russia and the mother of the family decides to make this quilt out of a basket of old clothing. She says this way they will feel like they all have a little piece of home dancing around them at night. This quilt is then passed down through four generations.

I think this story is an important one for children to read because it features people of immigration. Some of the students in our classrooms will be immigrants from other countries. Hopefully, this book will make them feel understood and at home.

I think another idea that you could take away from this book is the idea of creating something made out of things that mean something to you. Maybe each year, my class and I could save things from the school year and make our own classroom quilt. Or they could make individual quilts with pictures and things they enjoy. This book has so many great ideas and activities that you could pull from it.