Non Fiction - Quilt of States

Quilt of States: Piecing Together America by Adrienne Yorinks (and contributions by 50 librarians across the nation) 2005

This juvenile book caught my eye first because of the quilt connection then the authorship indicating assistance from 50 librarians. Then seeing the publisher is National Geographic, which lends some support to its credibility, peaked my interest even more as I have in the past found most of their publications generally have appealing content. So, from here I grabbed the book up headed to check out and thought this is a book worthy of looking at. (I do usually find many good non-fiction books, but I seem to have difficulty in writing about them.)

Now, one of the other things that struck me right off hand was, I doubt seriously if any young gentleman would venture to check out a book with the word Quilt as the first word in the title. However, there are some that are desperate enough when it is crunch time for a paper and need a print resource.

So, off to the pages I went in search of enlightenment, which I did find. Following a brief historical introduction the states are arranged in the order in which they were admitted to the union. For each state the author created a quilt patch that artistically highlights what is found and/or unique about the state in a two page spread. For instance, Indiana's design includes a race car, cow, corn, state flower, etc., with the state shape and capital set apart in a distinctive manner. The state information is laid out to appear to be a part of the quilt and includes a very succinct description about the state. This included the state's "ownership" or territorial background, what needed to be done to join the union, and when this happened. The originator of the information is then credited.

Interspersed throughout the book are quilt designs of the United States and what its' territories and states comprised of at a particular time period. Compiled at the end of the book are helpful specific state facts arranged in alphabetic order. In addition, a contributor section is included briefly describing the person's position and authority basis for the information provided. (By the way, they were not all librarians.)

Overall, it is a really nice book. But, I really do not think it would be of any interest to students lower than 3rd grade and will probably be only of use to students in 5th grade due to their curriculum of U.S. history (at least those here locally). If you like U.S. trivia whether young or adult, this is a book that you would enjoy. If not, skip it unless you know someone in need of a quick print resource for a paper.

P.S. If you know a person you really is into quilts, they would like this book too. Really creative and artistic work. Another "kid" book that makes a good adult book.