Traditions of a Russian Jewish family fill the book and offer opportunities for readers to learn unique things about that culture. How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? This book is clearly a story about a particular culture. Though it is not always stated how the quilt is used, the colorful quilt stands out against the black and white illustrations on each page allowing readers to visualize its central role in the life of this family. The plot is carried out by the continued use of the keeping quilt as generations of her family get married, have children, and pass away. While you do not learn a great deal about individual characters in the story, the author gives you a clear picture of the values of a family and the community it is a part of. The immediate social group is a family of Russian Jewish immigrants living in a large city in America. Literary Elements at Work in the Story: The Keeping Quilt is the author’s own true family story, spanning over a century. It ends with the author wrapping her own newborn daughter in the keeping quilt and looking forward to the day when her daughter will do the same.

Giving accounts of how the quilt was used allows the author to describe many of the traditions of her family, culture, and religion, and how the traditions changed and adapted with the passage of time and the mixing of cultures. The “keeping quilt” was originally made from her great grandmother’s favorite dress and babushka, was decorated by all the Russian ladies in their neighborhood, and used as a tablecloth, a picnic blanket, a wedding huppa, and was wrapped tightly around all the new babies in the family for generations to follow. Summary: Patricia, the author, tells the story of six generations of her own family since her Great Grandmother immigrated to the United States from Russia by highlighting the way a family quilt was used during times of change for the family. Audience: 4-8, though this book would be useful for adults in a congregation that is facing significant internal changes.

The keeping quilt book