The Quilt

Shortlisted for the English Language Tir na n-Og Award 2021

The Quilt is children’s picture book by the illustrator of Little Honey Bee, Wales on the Map, Four Branches of the Mabinogi and many more.

This is a beautifully illustrated story about emigration and homesickness. A little girl lives with her parents on a farm near the coast, around the turn of the twentieth century. Times are hard and the family decides to emigrate to the USA, raising the fare by selling all of their possessions except for a black and red quilt lovingly hand-made by the mother. The little girl feels homesick and sad at times, but the memories and love contained in the quilt help her overcome this and adapt to her new life.

This book offers a message of hope which is sure to strike a chord with many adult readers: when things look bleak, remember that happy times will return.

Valériane Leblond’s talent and appeal as an illustrator cannot be doubted – she was shortlisted for the prestigious Tir na n-Og Award every year from 2015–2019, with two books illustrated by her winning in the Welsh-language primary category (Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi [Rily] in 2016 and Cymru ar y Map [Rily] in 2019). A French artist brought up in Angers, she now lives in an old farmhouse near Aberystwyth with her three sons, several cats and too many chickens.

Valériane Leblond’s talent and appeal as an illustrator cannot be doubted – she was shortlisted for the prestigious Tir na n-Og Award every year from 2015–2019, with two books illustrated by her winning in the Welsh-language primary category (Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi [Rily] in 2016 and Cymru ar y Map [Rily] in 2019). A French artist brought up in Angers, she now lives in an old farmhouse near Aberystwyth with her three sons, several cats and too many chickens.