Project Description

Picture Books

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Mooshka, A Quilt Story

by Julie Paschkis

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.

Format: Hardcover
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-56145-620-8
Publication Date: 3/1/2012
Page Count: 32
Size: 9-1/2″ x 11″
Age Range: 4 – 8
Language: English
AR Level: 3.3
F&P: GRL M, Gr 2, Genre F
Themes: Change, Family History, Quilts, New Sibling
BISAC 1: JUV013070 JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Siblings
BISAC 2: JUV010000 JUVENILE FICTON / Bedtime & Dreams
BISAC 3: JUV051000 JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play

Reviews

“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

“Vivid artwork, a lively, endearing heroine and a warm, loving look at a pivotal experience give this one classic potential.” ―Kirkus Reviews, 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

“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

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“Illustrator and fabric designer Paschkis’s vibrant black-outlined illustrations are set within frames of patchwork…This new-baby book gives the older sibling an important role, that of family storyteller.” ―The Horn Book Magazine

“Mothers who quilt (they suddenly seem as common as mothers who blog) will adore this gorgeously illustrated story about Karla, a girl whose grandmother teaches her to appreciate quilting.” ―The New York Times Sunday Review

“What a beauty this picture book is.” ―Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

“The illustrations are a dazzle of fabric patterns. The story about the connection between generations and making room for a new one, is heart-warming, realistic and with a surprise ending.” ―ReaderKidz

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Awards

Society of School Librarians International Book Awards (Honor Book, Language Arts, Grades K-6 Picture Books) ―Society of School Librarians International, 2012

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Meet the Author/Illustrator

Julie Paschkis 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, creating commercial illustrations, and illustrating children’s books. Some of her books include Albert the Fix-It Man; Where Is Catkin?; Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella; and Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary. She lives in Washington. You can visit her website here.