Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco Avana and her mother make a quilt from © old clothes that belonged to family members in their homeland. When the quilt is used at Anna's wedding, a tradition begins. The quilt connects Anna and her family to their past, to their culture, and to one another. 3THE QUILT IS MADE When Great-Gramma Anna moves from Russia to New York City, she makes a quilt to remember her family in the homeland. V Vin my Great-Gramma Anna came And her dress was getting too small. to America, she wore the same thick After her mother had sewn her a new overcoat and big boots she had worn for one, her mother took her old dress and farm work. But her family weren't dirt babushka. Then from a basket of old clothes farmers anymore. In New York City her she took Uncle Viadimir's shirt, Aunt father’s work was hauling things ona Havalah’s nightdress, and an apron of wagon, and the rest of the family made ‘Aunt Natasha's. artificial flowers all day. Everyone was in a hurry, and it was so crowded, not like in backhome Russia, But all the same it was their home, and most of their neighbors were just like them. When Anna went to school, English sounded to her like pebbles dropping into shallow water. Shhhhhh. .... Shhhhhh « Shhhhhh. In six months she was speaking English. Her parents almost never learned, so she spoke English for them, too. ‘The only things she had left of backhome Russia were her dress and the babushka. she liked to throw up into the air when she was dancing. ‘overcoat long coat worn in the winter pebbles small stones hauling carrying shallow water water that is not deep wagon cart with wheels ial flowers flowers made of plastic, 78 Unit 2 | Belonging“We will make a quilt to help us always remember home,” Anna's mother said. “It, will be like having the family in backhome Russia dance around us at night.” And so it was. Anna's mother invited all the neighborhood ladies. They cut out animals and flowers from the seraps of clothing. Anna kept the needles threaded Seraps small pieces border edge Prayers. words spoken to God and handed them to the ladies as they needed them. The border of the quilt was made of Anna's babushka. On Friday nights Anna's mother would say the prayers that started the Sabbath. ‘The family ate challah and chicken soup. ‘The quilt was the tablecloth. 1. Main Idea and Details Support this main idea with details: Life in New York was very busy for Anna and her family. 2. Conclusions Think of two reasons Anna's mother decided to use old clothes for the quilt. 3. Inference Why do you think Anna's mother asked the neighborhood women to help make the quilt? the Sabbath Saturday, the Jewish day of rest and worship cchallah, bread that is shaped by twisting The Keeping Quilt 79A TRADITION BEGINS The quilt is used as a huppa at Anna and Sasha's wedding. Many years later. the quilt becomes a wedding huppa for their daughter's wedding Ah nna grew up and fell in love with Great-Grandpa Sasha. To show he wanted to be her husband, he gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and a piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen handkerchief. The gold was for wealth, the flower for love, and the salt so their lives would have flavor. She accepted the hankie. They were engaged. Under the wedding huppa, Anna and Sasha promised each other love and understanding. After the wedding, the men and women celebrated separately. a wh ME Hill fell in love with started to care very deeply about rock salt. salt in the shape of a small rock Hinen handkerchief square piece of strong cloth 80 Unit 2 | Belonging ‘wealth plenty of money and nice things have flavor be interesting hankie handkerchiefWhen my Grandma Carle was born, Anna wrapped her daughter in the quilt to welcome her warmly into the world, Carle was given a gift of gold, flower, salt, and bread. 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. Carle learned to keep the Sabbath and to cook and clean and do washing. “Married you'll be someday,” Anna told Carle, and again the quilt became a wedding huppa, this time for Carle's wedding to Grandpa George. Men and women celebrated together, but they still did not dance together. In Carle's wedding bouquet was a gold coin, bread, and salt. Wontd never know poverty would always have enough money hunger the pain of not eating . Details What did Sasha give Anna for their engagement? What did each of these ‘items mean? 2. Personal Experience When Carle was born, she was given traditional gifts, Describe traditions you know about that welcome babies into the world, 3. Comparison How were Anna's and Carle's weddings alike and how were they different? keep the Sabbath always remember that the Sabbatlr is a special day The Keeping Quilt 81THE TRADITION CONTINUES Through the years, the quilt is used to celebrate marriages, welcome babies, and comfort the family in times of sickness. Car. and George moved to a farm in Michigan and Great-Gramma Anna came to live with them. The quilt once again wrapped a new little girl, Mary Ellen Mary Ellen called Anna, Lady Gramma, She had grown very old and was sick a lot of the time. The quilt: kept her legs warm. On Anna's ninety-eighth birthday, the cake was a kulich, a rich cake with raisins and candied fruit in it. When Great-Gramma Anna died, prayers were said to lift her soul to heaven. My mother Mary Ellen was now grown up. rich cake heavy, sweet cake raisins dried grapes lift her soul help her go 82 Unit 2 | Belonging When Mary Ellen left home, she took the quilt with her. When she became a bride, the quilt, became her huppa. For the first time, friends who were not Jews came to the wedding My mother wore a suit, but in her bouquet were gold, bread, and salt. The quilt welcomed me, Patricia, into the world, and it was the tablecloth for my first birthday patty. At night | would trace my fingers around the edges of each animal on the quilt before I went to sleep. I told my mother Jews people whose religion is Judaism trace my fingers follow with the tips of my fingers rnotme st stnsenirnccerss lee tates arenestories about the animals on the quilt, She told me whose sleeve had made the horse, whose apron had made the chicken, whose dress had made the flowers, and whose babushka went around the edge of the quilt, ‘The quilt was a pretend cape when I was in the bullring, or sometimes a tent in the steaming Amazon jungle. At my wedding to Enzo-Mario, men and women danced together, In my bouquet were gold, bread, and salt. ‘Twenty years ago I held Traci Denise in the quilt for the first time. Someday she, too, will leave home and she will take the quilt with her. sleeve arm of a shirt pretend cape an imagined piece of clothing worn around my shoulders Dullring arena in which men fight bulls tent small temporary shelter made of cloth Steaming Amazon jungle hot, humid, thick forest near the equator in South America 41. Sequence What happened after Carle and George moved to Michigan? Tell the main events in the order in which they happened. 2, Narrator's Point of View Who is telling this story? How do you know? 3. Generalization What are all the different ways the quilt is used? What do they have in common? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Remembering her childhood home in Oakland, California, Patricia Polacco says, “All my neighbors came in. as many colors, ideas, and religions as \ there are people on the O planet. How lucky | was to know so many people that were so different and yet so alike.” As a young gir, she had a learning disability that made it difficult for her to learn to read. She could draw very well, however. Now her drawing and writing come together in her books. Some of them were inspired by listening to the storytellers in her family The Keeping Quilt 83