When soldiers demand that the family leave, the doctor sells one of his prized possessions to pay for their safe passage to America.

Anna's father collapses from exhaustion and the family is taken in by a friendly doctor who cares for all of them for months. Later, Jews are expelled from Russia and the family begins a long trek to the coast where they hope to find passage to America. One wedding is straight the other is gay: The loveliest part of the revised book, though, is Polacco's addition of both of her children's weddings, under the original quilt huppa. The original now hangs in a museum in Ohio. It finally shows its age - the white parts of the quilt in the illustrations turn to brown - and her children surprise her with a meticulously-researched, lovingly sewn copy of the quilt. It seems to have, and in the new book Polacco describes how she's taken it with her to schools and other book talks for the past 25 years. One wonders how the quilt survived the babies, the birthday parties, weeping relatives at deathbeds, not to mention energetic make-believe. Gold so she would never know poverty, a flower so she would always know love, salt so her life would always have flavor and bread so that she would never know hunger. At each wedding, there's a symbolic gift:Ĭarle was given a gift of gold, flower, salt and bread. 25 years ago, she ended the book with the births of her own children, the fifth generation in her story. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.Polacco lovingly describes each wedding, the births of babies who grow up to be grandmas, deaths. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. *Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.

What are some traditions in your family - draw and write the story. Make a ?quilt? out of construction paper - what special items would you want on it - draw. Soon enough, though, Anna outgrew the dress and her mother decided to incorporate it and the babushka into a quilt.ĭiscussion topics: To be posted soon. When Patricia's Great-Gramma Anna came to America as a child, the only things she brought along from Russia were her dress and the babushka she liked to throw up into the air when she was dancing.

Grade Level: 4th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)

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The keeping quilt story