Pat McKissack (1944–2017)

This Correta Scott King award-winning book is a beautiful story of a single impoverished mother raising her son. While they have so very little, when the minister of their church notes that whatever is given, no matter how small, when given from the heart, the gift is large and can mean more than expected, and What is given from the heart, reaches the heart, James and his mother know they must find something to donate.

James Otis knows his mother works very hard to keep them going. When the minister announces that Irene Temple and her little girl have lost everything in a fire, he asks the congregation to add them to the list of people who will receive love boxes on Valentines Day.

With so very little they own, James mother notes they need to help out. His mother sews an apron from her only tablecloth to add to the love box. James decides to color various pages he draws from his favorite book that his mother bought for him and paid .10 at the resale shop. When Sarah and her mother were presented their love box, they were overcome with emotion.

James personally gave his hand-made book to Sarah with the title "From My Heart to your Heart" on the cover.

Walking home from church, the night sky started to snow. As they neared their home, on the porch was a love box that was delivered to them.

This is a beautiful story of the importantance of giving from the heart.… (mer)

Overall this was an engaging book. It was hard to get a sense of Clotee's age. Having heard this as an audiobook, I may have misunderstood that she was 7 years old (explains why her job was fanning). Some of her thoughts and actions seem much older. The fact that it was a diary made me imagine some descendant finding her journal and connecting with this history.
The author's use of the 'picture' analogy seemed a little heavy handed: the number of times Clotee talks about not being able to picture freedom. This might be relevant for someone who is very visually oriented, but it implies that one cannot imagine abstract concepts.… (mer)

Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt, by Patricia McKissack. This collection of poems is used to tell the history and honor the spirit of the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The story, in poem form, is told through the eyes of a little girl who wants to be just like the quilters, and her grandma, who guides the baby girl to “look for the heart” and stitch her own unique story with pieces of fabric she loves. Gee’s Bend is located on a remote river bend and somewhat secluded from the rest of the world. It had been a plantation before the Civil War, but when the War ended, the African American’s who lived there, now free, stayed on the land and eventually became owners. The community of women would reuse material and stitch together fabric in a wide variety of patterns to make colorful quilts. When somebody they loved died, they would take their clothes and create a memory of their spirit that would remain in the quilt. The grandma tells the little girl that “cloth has a memory” and “colors show how you feel deep down inside.” The distinct style and sheer quantity of quilts show the artistry of the people of Gee’s Bend and how their creativity was able to flourish cut off from the outside world. That is until Gee’s Bend was “discovered” in the 1960’s. Orders for quilts came in with strict rules and only traditional designs could be used. It meant more money for the community, but less freedom.… (mer)