Review: Mooshka, A Quilt Story by Julia Paschkis

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

Karla loves Mooshka, a quilt composed of scraps of fabric from many members of Karla's family. But Mooshka is more than a quilt it can talk, comforting Karla at bedtime. Each square or schnitz, tells her stories of her ancestors and their lives. When new baby sister Hannah arrives, Karla's routine is upset and Mooshka falls silent. Only when Karla shares Mooshka with her sister does the quilt begin to speak again and tell Hannah stories of Karla's early life.

MY TAKE:

I enjoyed this book a lot! :)

Karla's constant companion is her quilt Mooshka. Mooshka is a patchwork quilt created by Karla's grandmother. Each schnitz represents a different story of her family's history and when Karla touches each schnitz, she hears that specific story. Everything is fine until Karla gets a new baby sister and Mooshka stops talking to her.

I enjoyed the story and the concept of the book. Since I live in a tropical country, I've only been able to use quilts a few times in my life. I enjoy them, though, because staying underneath the covers while it's cold outside is a good way to spend a lazy day. Reading books in bed is fun too, and having a magical quilt that tells stories as you fall asleep wraps those two things in one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishers for the ARC. :) Publishing date for Mooshka, A Quilt Story is on March 1, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. The coloring. There's a certain whimsy to the coloring of the book. I also liked that for each schnitz, the borders and pages were colored to match that schnitz.
   
2. The concept. A magical quilt that serves as a girl's companion: a pretty cute and original concept.
   
3. The flow of the story. Some children's stories can feel hurried and the continuation between the story and its ending can feel disjointed. With Mooshka, A Quilt Story, this was not a problem at all.

THE BAD:

1. I'm not a big fan of the style of the illustration. It's not because it's not pretty. It's more of because I have a certain preferred style when it comes to children's book illustrations.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

She puffed Mooshka in the air and let it float gently down on Hannah. "Sister." said Mooshka.

READ IT IF:

1. You're looking for a cute children's book about sisters.
2. You like colorful children's books that your kids will enjoy looking at.
3. You like reading children's books.

RATING:

SOUNDS INTERESTING?