The Moon Quilt

Rating:
Summary: A warm title of an old woman's activities
Review: An old woman is sitting on her porch with her cat and is dreaming of her husband, lost at sea. Her dreams lead to new ideas for the quilt she is making, and her life takes on new purpose and reflection as she stitches in the changes in this warm title of an old woman's activities.

Rating:
Summary: A senstive look at the journey of life for children
Review: This book full of wonderful illustrations, provides a senstive look at the journey of a woman's life for children and adults alike. It takes the reader through a colorful adventure through the eyes of an old women and her cat. The author's exquisite drawings enhance the warm feeling the book gives the reader. A must read for any age.

Rating:
Summary: Bemused...
Review: This is a beautiful book, with many of the illustrations looking like they are fashioned from snippets of cloth, as a quilt top would be. The story is gentle and cheerful. Here is the old woman working in her garden, and here she is entertaining a group of happy youngsters at Hallowe'en. Clearly she has a full and fulfilling life. And then in the next-to-the-last frame, after she has added her cat and herself to the quilt, they sit down together under the moonlight and...die??? I guess i'm used to authors who clobber you over the head with the punchline. I had to go back and read the story again to make sure i'd reached the right conclusion. Then i had to go look at some reviews of the book to see if other reviewers reached the same conclusion. I suppose that this book can be used to show children that death is a gentle thing when it comes to those who have lived a long and useful life...except that the ending really startled and upset me. I guess i didn't see it coming, and i didn't want the story to turn out that way. I would only recommend reading this book to children if you are prepared to have a potentially upsetting discussion about death and dying.