Mooshka, A Quilt Story

Description

Karla loves her special quilt, Mooshka. But Mooshka is more than just a quilt. Karla's grandmother lovingly pieced Mooshka together using scraps of fabric from members of Karla's family. Each square, or "schnitz," shares a special memory of Karla's ancestors and their lives. Mooshka speaks, comforting Karla at bedtime with whispered stories. When new baby sister Hannah arrives, Karla's routine is disrupted and Mooshka falls silent. Only when Karla shares Mooshka with her sister does the quilt begin to speak again and tell Hannah the treasured stories of her family.

Julie Paschkis grew up in Pennsylvania, then attended Cornell University and the School for American Craftsmen at RIT, where she earned a BFA. She taught art to grade-school children for several years while working on her own art and illustration. Julie now works full-time painting, designing textiles, creating commercial illustrations, and illustrating children's books. An award-winning illustrator and author of books for children, she displays her love of pattern and folk art in all of her illustration work. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

"With elegant simplicity and generously colored and patterned pages, this picture book from Paschkis shows how a family quilt can connect children to both the past and the present."-Booklist, Starred Review "Drawing on the vibrant colors, tableau compositions, and cheery graphic motifs of pan-European folk art, illustrator Paschkis (Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People), making her debut as an author, elevates her story beyond a familiar tale of displacement anxiety."-Publishers Weekly "Vivid artwork, a lively, endearing heroine and a warm, loving look at a pivotal experience give this one classic potential."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "The folkloric quilt that graces the endpapers and continues throughout is as charming and warm as a quilt can be. The ink and gouache illustrations are quintessentially Paschkis."-School Library Journal