I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery

...in so many ways. Wood's paintings are lovely and lively companions to Grady's evocative, lyrical, heartwarming and heart-rending poems. The supplemental material is educational without being didactic, the verses inspirational without a trace of the maudlin -- there are no false notes in this gorgeous and moving book.

Quilts tell stories. Stories of the time, place, person or persons making the quilt. It is a great way to introduce children and adults to history.

Greatt book! It was everything I thought it would be and more? I wish there was a second series to this book.

Strange poetry format, but great art. abnsrun sfuwrin s lrywlin sf siuur l c.fbj af sfhsfslfnnienf ifk kfhsliesaclifnsf sn ebs

Fourteen poems convey a kaleidoscope of emotions and situations experienced by enslaved people in the United States before the Civil War. Intense pain, grief, hope, and faith accompanied the forced labor, family separations, spiritual celebrations, and dreams of freedom that so many lived through. Each poem captures these ideas with a quilt block structure of ten lines of ten syllables of unrhymed verse. To add another dimension to the quilt structure, each poem has a reference to three themes: spirituality, music, and fiber arts. Enriching the artistic merit of this book are gorgeous bold paintings that further engage the reader with the historical narrative. The book provides educators and parents with an alternative art form for teaching young learners about slavery, racial inequality, and social justice.

This is a wonderful collection of poems told mostly in the voices of individual slaves. Many of the poems feature the heartbreak of losing loved ones to the auction block, being consigned to the fields for dropping dishes, and being whipped. But there are moments of joy, too--the white schoolteacher who notices the slave children outside and teaches loudly, with the windows open so that they can hear; "singing up a frenzy of song!"; following the North Star to freedom. The poems reference spirituality and fabric arts, and a prose note accompanies each poem. This collection makes a really hard topic accessible to fairly young kids. And it's just a fabulous book:>)

While I did like the poems overall, and did really feel drawn to a few, most didn't give me the emotional punch I was hoping for. The illustrations though --- wowee, amazing! You can definitely see the folksy quilt inspiration there. I also appreciated the historical footnotes included under each poem for reference.

It's too limiting to say this is a children's picture book. Michele Wood is outdone herself with each illustration that accompanies Cynthia Grady's poems and time period explanation. This book makes an outstanding adult gift for quilters given Wood's powerful and memorable artwork. She captures the spirit of quilting and its rhythm and of the late John Biggers. I especially enjoy the cover piece (Basket) of the quilter stitching a patchwork square as well as the matron quilting that goes with the Cotton Boll poem. Well done!