Stitchin' and Pullin'

A Gee's Bend Quilt

Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
Look inside
This collection of poems that tell the story of the quilt-making community in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, is now available as a Dragonfly paperback.
 
For generations, the women of Gee’s Bend have made quilts to keep a family warm, as a pastime accompanied by sharing and singing, or to memorialize loved ones. Today, the same quilts hang on museum walls as modern masterpieces of color and design. Inspired by these quilts and the women who made them, award-winning author Patricia C. McKissack traveled to Alabama to learn their stories. The lyrical rite-of-passage narrative that is the result of her journey seamlessly weaves together the familial, cultural, spiritual, and historical strands of life in this community.
PATRICIA C. McKISSACK was the author of over 100 children's books, including The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, which was a Newbery Honor book and a Coretta Scott King Award winner. She also received the Coretta Scott King Award for A Long Hard Journey: The Story of Pullman Porter and Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters.

View titles by Patricia McKissack
  • WINNER
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • WINNER | 2008
    Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
  • HONOR | 2009
    Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2008:
"An outstanding way to introduce aspects of African-American history and explore the power of community."

About

This collection of poems that tell the story of the quilt-making community in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, is now available as a Dragonfly paperback.
 
For generations, the women of Gee’s Bend have made quilts to keep a family warm, as a pastime accompanied by sharing and singing, or to memorialize loved ones. Today, the same quilts hang on museum walls as modern masterpieces of color and design. Inspired by these quilts and the women who made them, award-winning author Patricia C. McKissack traveled to Alabama to learn their stories. The lyrical rite-of-passage narrative that is the result of her journey seamlessly weaves together the familial, cultural, spiritual, and historical strands of life in this community.

Author

PATRICIA C. McKISSACK was the author of over 100 children's books, including The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, which was a Newbery Honor book and a Coretta Scott King Award winner. She also received the Coretta Scott King Award for A Long Hard Journey: The Story of Pullman Porter and Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters.

View titles by Patricia McKissack

Awards

  • WINNER
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • WINNER | 2008
    Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
  • HONOR | 2009
    Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award

Praise

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2008:
"An outstanding way to introduce aspects of African-American history and explore the power of community."

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