Happy November! You won’t want to miss reading about The All-Together Quilt by Lizzy Rockwell!
With cooler temperatures approaching, Dr. Toughlove thought you might like a cuddly, loving, feel-good picture book entitled “The All-Together Quilt”, written and illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell.
In this charming book, which is based on an actual organization entitled Peace by Piece: The Norwalk Community Quilt Project, the protagonist, Jennifer, meets her friends at the local community center. When you look at Lizzy Rockwell’s illustrations you will see Jennifer’s friends are male, female, youngsters, teenagers, moms, dads, and senior citizens.
This diverse collection of people who gather at the center are all working together to achieve a common goal – a decorative quilt. All sorts of skills are on display, including selecting, cutting and ironing fabric, decorating fabric, operating a sewing machine and so much more. Some math skills are incorporated into the book as the children discover that two triangles can make a square, and two rectangles can make a square as well (p. 11).
So why would this be a good book to read to a youngster aged 5-8? In addition to the appealing illustrations (everyone knows that Dr. Toughlove loves beautiful pictures that accompany well-written text), “The All-Together Quilt” has a number of subtle themes embedded in the book. One is the idea that before starting a task think about what items you need and plan accordingly. Another is the notion of working well with others who may look different from you. Intergenerational relationships is one of the most powerful messages. A third is the concept that it is OK to try something you haven’t done before – that’s how you learn and grow. These are just some of the kernels of wisdom found in this book. You and the youngsters you share this book with will discover many more, and rich discussions will ensue as a result.
After you read “The All-Together Quilt”, if you would like to do some additional activities, you can go to TheAllTogetherQuilt.com. There you will learn more about Lizzy Rockwell’s quilting project and find follow-up art projects. If you think you would like to start a quilting club of this nature in your community, you can find contact information for Lizzy Rockwell on this website.
“The All-Together Quilt” is a wonderful read aloud book and is available at your local library.