The Quilting Bee

From School Library Journal Grade 1-4-In this look at a quilting bee, the warm and friendly atmosphere of this social gathering quickly gets lost in a blur of patterns and text. Dozens of watercolor-and-ink illustrations depicting both scenes of people quilting and pattern squares are scattered about like a crazy quilt. Interesting facts about the design, construction, and history of quilts, as well as the origin of traditional patterns used by the pioneers, are ill served by the book's format and fonts, which make it difficult to distinguish the narrative from the numerous captions. On a more positive note, the author offers a wonderful idea for making an authors' and illustrators' quilt. For an informative, better-organized alternative, try Mary Cobb's The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days (Millbrook, 1995).