Today’s poetry picture book was originally published in 2012 but recently had another print run.  It’s a fascinating mish-mash of concepts.

I LAY MY STITCHES DOWN is a poetry picture book that combines quilting patterns with history about enslaved people.  That is the easiest way to describe it, but there are many more layers here.  The author chose to weave spiritual, musical, and sewing references into each poem as well.  And did you know that there’s actually a historical controversy surrounding the origins of some of the quilting patterns?  Apparently there’s a great deal of debate surrounding legends of enslaved people and their use of quilts to escape to freedom.  Who knew?  But the books wonders don’t stop there.  The illustrations by Michele Wood are incredible works of art.  The way she intertwines the quilt patterns into each illustration are mind-blowing.  Each scene takes so many separate pieces and weaves them seamlessly together to create a stunning illustration.  This is one you will have to see for yourself.

Please note: I was also given a copy of the book to review by the publisher (Eerdmans Books), but as always, the opinions are all mine.

And if you’re looking for more poetry fun this month, be sure to check out the Kidlitosphere Event Roundup!  Thank you for stopping by!