The Quiltmaker

Author: Jeff Brumbeau
Illustrator: Gail De Marcken
Summary: A generous quiltmaker finally agrees to make a quilt for a greedy king but only under certain conditions (which will change his heart).
ISBN: 0439309107

Literature Based Unit Study written by Ami Brainerd (Art Lessons by Brandy Shutt)

A two-page picture spread (about ľ way through the book) shows the king traveling the world as he gives he gifts away. This is a great opportunity for you to introduce your student to the seven continents. Be sure to name the continents aloud as you move your story disk from continent to continent each day. One way you can do this is by asking your student to remember (or imagine) items the king gave away and choose a destination for the king to deposit that item. For example, your student may remember the blue waltzing cats. You can say, “the king is going to leave the blue waltzing cats in Asia. Do you remember where Asia is?” Have him (or help him) move the story disk there and then continue with the game. What else did the king give away? “That’s right, he gave away a mirror. Move to Australia and have him drop it off.” Keep going until you have traveled around the world.

Seven Continents Layered Book for your Lapbook

Seven Continents Activity Book

World Outline Map (Label the Continents)

Ask your student if he remembers what parts of the story the quiltmaker is kind to animals. He may mention that she sews a pillow for the bear and little purple jackets for the birds. Discuss with your child ways to be kind to animals and how God wants us to treat animals (Proverbs 12:10). One practical idea for our Indiana winter is to make a Pinecone Bird Feeder (see instructions below). You could also make a bird house or a different type of bird feeder.

Roll the pinecones in lard, then in birdseed or popcorn. Attach a string long enough so that the pinecone can hang from a tree branch. Find a tree that you can see easily; hang your feeder there and watch the birds come!

Using a blend instead of straight peanut butter or lard-- It is recommended by the forestry service to mix cornmeal & lard (or melted suet or shortening) in with the peanut butter before applying to the pinecone because straight peanut butter can be strangling to smaller birds - they cannot get it off their beaks and it becomes like glue.

Add just enough of each to stiffen the consistency; apply to the pinecone; roll in birdseed

Find the page with all the king’s things. Read it again with your child... “Things that shimmered and glittered and glowed…” Can you describe the things in the room with your child? Try to fill in the blank: Things that _________ or fill in this blank ________ things. You can look at the lizard and say, “let’s describe the lizard – slimy things or green things.” Now, try it for any of the other objects. Ask your child, “What do you see?” I see sparkling things, red things, yellow things, silver things, frosted things, breakable things, sharp things. You get the idea. You don’t have to use the word adjectives, but at least you know you are paving the way. If your child can’t think of any describing words, you can play a game with it. “I see flying things, can you find them?” As you play this game, your child will learn new describing words.

Go-along book for learning about adjectives: Many Luscious Lollipops by Ruth Heller

greedy To be greedy is to want more than one needs or deserves. The greedy king insisted on two birthdays every year and had much more than he needed (refer back to the king’s things picture).

stashed When something is stashed, it is hidden or stored away (sometimes in a

secret place). The king’s things had to be stashed because he had more than he could ever use.

seize When someone seizes something, they forcefully take or grab it. The king

wailed A wail is a long, loud, high-pitched cry indicating remorse, grief, or protest. The king wailed when he realized what he had done to the quiltmaker (because he thought the bear had most likely eaten her—you may or may not want to share this with your child. It reminds me of King Darius when he threw Daniel into a den of lions; I bet he wailed as well.)

After you introduce the vocabulary words to your student, have fun acting them out. Show them how to stash, seize, and wail!

Just for Fun
Finding the King's Things! idea contributed by Oney Jones

In design, repetition occurs when any individual component is used more than once. The four basic types of repetition are shape/volume, size, position, and direction. Gail de Marcken brings life to repetition. Every page is full of unending examples of every type of repetition (this is especially noted in the blue cats and the birds--both flying and in the trees). This repetition creates a unified experience from beginning to end.

Talk to your student about the different types of repetition and see if there is a picture he likes because of it. A great way to introduce this technique is by using stamps, stickers, or even cutouts of a favorite shape or form. Overlap and put them side-by-side, just experiment with the repetition and enjoy a unified result. Remember to look around and find repetition in your home (steps, books on a bookshelf, flooring, mini-blinds, etc.).

"Watercolors are like children. You can guide them, but you can't control them." Gail de Marcken commented on how often she redid many of the illustrations before she "got the colors right." The colors are so brilliant you may wonder if it is really watercolor. She says she guides them. Let your student try to guide--try a gradation scale. Choose one color and add one drop of water and paint a horizontal line. Continue by adding water (one drop at a time) and making horizontal lines one under the other until the color is almost gone. Discuss the experience and the difficulty of control. It will bring a new appreciation to what de Marcken has accomplished.

Quilts use a variety of shapes to come together for a pattern. Choose one of the quilt templates provided and make a copy on cardstock. Cut it up and see if your child can replicate it. If you make four copies, your child will have enough shapes to make four quilt squares which will make a mini-quilt (you can let them glue it down to another piece of cardstock if you like).

Quilt patterns also lead to a discussion about triangles. What actually looks like a square in a quilt pattern may be two triangles of the same material. What can your child make from two triangles? (a square) What shape can your child make from three triangles? (another triangle) What shape can your child make from four triangles? (a rectangle)

Math: Graphing (continued from the previous lesson)
Ask your student to record how many shapes of each color they used in their paper patterns and plot these results by making tally marks on a graph (I have provided some, but you may want to make your own to suit your needs; I did not write red triangle instead I only wrote triangle so each student can use the colors they want. Fill in the color names or color with a crayon as appropriate).

Prepared Graph for Snail's Trail and Friendship Star Patterns

Prepared Graph for Spool Pattern (younger student)

Science: Biology—Bears
In the story, the king leaves the Quiltmaker there to be eaten by the bear. Instead of eating the Quiltmaker, the bear eats a breakfast of honey, blueberries, and tea. Ask your student which items bears really eat. If the bear was hungry enough (and if the Quiltmaker hadn't been so kind), would the bear have eaten her? (probably!)

Bears are omnivores—they eat both meat and plants. Ask your student if he is an omnivore? Bears eat many things including blueberries and honey (although I don’t think they drink tea!); some of their most popular menu items include fish, berries, roots, leaves, nuts, deer, and insects. Bears also like honey, but what they really like are the bees and bee larvae (young worms) inside the beehive. If you feel adventurous make a bear-friendly lunch! However, you may want to skip the insects and bee larvae!).

Science: Considering God’s Colorful Creation
Re-read the third paragraph on the first page of the story (“The blues seemed to come from the deepest part of the ocean, the whites from the northernmost snows…”). God has certainly used many wonderful colors in his awesome creation. Using your child’s crayon box, pull out a color and ask her to name something God made that is the same color. For a variation of this, you can make a list or a chart. For yet another variation, you could cut-up a magazine looking for things God made. You could glue the red creations to a red piece of construction paper, the blue creations to a blue piece…etc.

Kindness—The Quiltmaker is kind to the bear (who is angry). Her kindness returns kindness as he then sets her free. Proverbs 15:1.

Contentment—Is there such a thing as contentment in our American culture? We are bombarded with the idea that we need more—a nicer car, a bigger house, new clothes, the latest toys, a different mate, a better job, etc. I hope my husband and I fight this type of thinking in our own lives and can pass a different philosophy to our children. The dictionary definition of content is so simple and yet so convicting at the same time-- Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied. This year, instead of making a Christmas list, you may want to consider making a blessing list with your children. I don’t really know how to teach contentment, but I do know that we can model it. We can talk to them about God’s provision (Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:28-34). We can and should teach them the difference between a want and a need and exhort them to “be happy with what you have.”

Other spiritual lessons you may want to pursue—greed, giving (giving all—Christ; Christ also asked the rich young man to give all he had), and sharing with those who need.

Just for Fun!

Tea-Time!
It seems the Quiltmaker has her teapot attached to her at all times. The story shows her drinking tea and mentions blackberry tea. Purchase some blackberry tea the next time you are at the grocery store and share it with your child. You may even want to read the story again as you drink! For a special touch, sweeten it with honey and serve with blueberry scone recipe.

Cut butter into mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add blueberries and toss to mix. In separate bowl beat together cream and egg, and slowly pour into dry ingredients, stirring with rubber scraper until dough forms. Knead just until it comes together, 3 or 4 times. Don't over-handle. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured board, shape each half into a 6-inch round. Cut into 6 wedges. Bake on un-greased sheet about 20 minutes at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Serve warm!!