This carefully crafted poetry collection thoughtfully combines the excitement of a young African American girl’s first quilting project with a celebration of the history and culture of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The town and its quilting tradition have long been recognized for their uniqueness. The poems honor the community’s past while recognizing the roles and rituals of generation as they tell the story of a grandmother and granddaughter assembling a quilt. Rich illustrations convey feeling and the details of their handicraft. From the final poem entitled “Finished,” the girl is pleased with the end product, though her work is not done: “But I am not complete… / There are hundreds of ideas in my head. / Quilts that are about me, / the place where I live, / and the people / who have been here for generations.” An authoritative introduction and author’s note at the conclusion yield helpful insight on the extraordinary people and traditions of Gee’s Bend. (Ages 7–11)

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER, grandmother and granddaughter, aunt and niece, friend and friend. For a hundred years, generations of women from Gee’s Bend have quilted together, sharing stories, trading recipes, singing hymns—all the while stitchin’ and pullin’ thread through cloth. Every day Baby Girl listens, watches, and waits, until she’s called to sit at the quilting frame. Piece by piece, she puzzles her quilt together—telling not just her story, but the story of her family, the story of Gee’s Bend, and the story of her ancestors’ struggle for freedom.