The Josefina Story Quilt[JOSEFINA STORY QUILT][Paperback] (edició 2003)

I gave this four stars only because it does not explicitly state why they are going west or what part of history this describes so I am not sure that a child would understand what was happening when reading this alone. It may take some additional background knowledge. However, I do love the images in this book and the hardships that it represents. It is a story of the Oregon trail told through a young girl's perspective. It describes the sacrifices families had to make in order to go, things they had to leave behind, dangers that occurred along the way (disclaimer: it does refer to native americans as indians in this story, this could be a good opportunity to explain this concept to students). It also introduces death and loss of a pet and how the young girl grieves this and finds comfort in the memories she has. While there is a historical aspect to this story I think that a lot of the aspects that would stand out to students are timeless. ( )

California,here we come! Faith's Pa says there's no room on a wagon train for Josefina, a chicken who's too tough to eat and too old to lay eggs. But Faith loves her pet. Can Josefina show Pa that she still has a few surprises left in her?

1889

In this story young Faith is moving west with her family in the wagon train. She is almost forced to leave her beloved pet chicken Josephina behind because Papa says there is no room left in the wagon. Papa finally relents and they begin out on there adventure. Many adventures take place, some good and some not so good. Faith learns the importance of documenting these adventures with small pieces of cloth into a story quilt. The quilt will be a memory she will be able to treasure forever.
Source: Pierce County Library
Ages: 5-7

In May of 1850, a little girl named Faith is about to embark with her family on a westward journey to California in a covered wagon. The trip is expected to take six months, and the family can take only those things essential for their long journey. And since Faith's pet hen, Josefina, is too old to lay eggs and too tough to eat, Faith must convince her father to let her bring Josefina along. The most treasured items the family carries, however, are the patchwork quilts that Faith's mother and grandmother have made over the years. Each patch in the quilt tells part of a different story, and sewn together, compose the family's history. On the journey across mountains and deserts, Faith occupies her time with making her own quilt. The story her patches tell recounts how Josefina manages to lay an egg just when the family is at their neediest, and how the hen sounds an alarm when robbers try to ambush the wagon. When Faith sleeps in her own bed in her new California home, she sleeps under the completed quilt, full of memories of an arduous journey and the adventures of one heroic hen.