Oma's Quilt - Hardcover

Bourgeois, Paulette

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1550747770 ISBN 13: 9781550747775

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2001

Synopsis

The time has come for Emily's grandmother to move. But it's hard to leave her house on Maple Street, filled as it is with a lifetime of cherished memories. At the retirement home, Oma complains about everything, from flowers in the hallway to crooked bowling lanes! Emily wants to see Oma happy again, but she doesn't know what to do. At home, Emily and her mother begin to sort through Oma's possessions. They find ribbons, lace, curtains and blankets. Surrounded by the faded fabrics, Emily now knows the perfect way to keep Oma's memories by her side -- by stitching a one-of-a-kind patchwork quilt! Spirited illustrations enhance this uplifting story about lives in transition and the threads of memory that hold them together.

About this title

About the Author

Paulette Bourgeois is the author of more than 40 books for children, including the In My Neighborhood series and Oma's Quilt. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Stéphane Jorisch's work has won many awards, including three Governor General's Awards for Illustration. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.

From Publishers Weekly

The difficult transition from family home to retirement community is poignantly rendered in this cross-generational tale told from a child's viewpoint. Emily tours her grandmother's empty house one last time before taking the reluctant Oma to her new residence. Bourgeois (author of the Franklin series) creates an immediate nostalgic feeling with Emily's observations. (Oma's house "still smells like cabbage soup, warm yeasty dough, lemon polish and vinegar.") Though the subject is bittersweet, the author keeps the story moving in lighthearted fashion, as optimistic Emily offers her impression of Oma's new home: "There are flowers everywhere.... There is a library... and even bowling on Wednesdays!" A displaced Oma is full of complaints ("The bowling alley lanes are crooked and the rental shoes smell funny" and she takes to calling her fellow residents "Nincompoops!"). Jorisch's (As for the Princess: A Folktale from Quebec) sun-drenched watercolors showing plump chairs and sofas in warm colors maintain a cheery mood. As Emily and her mother sort through Oma's now-boxed-up belongings, the girl suggests that they sew a quilt from them; it provides the cure for Oma's sourpuss facade. As Oma fondly looks over the quilt, pictures of events from the woman's past cascade in a joyous full-bleed spread. Author and artist stitch together a heartfelt reminder of the comfort that only the familiar can bring. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1550747770
• ISBN 13: 9781550747775
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Jorisch Stephane