A book to share with a child you love

I received a lovely book in the mail recently, called "Martha Ann’s Quilt for Queen Victoria" by Kyra E. Hicks.

It tells the story of Martha Ann, a 12 year old slave whose father is working to buy her freedom from slavery. When Martha Ann and her family move to Liberia and Martha Ann sees the British ships patrolling the coast of Liberia to prevent slave traders from kidnapping Liberians to force them back into slavery, Martha Ann decides to thank Queen Victoria. This story tells about how Martha Ann makes a quilt for the Queen and finds a way to deliver it in person.

What a gem this book is. It’s not often you find a children’s book that teaches a bit about history, is entertaining, AND involves quilting. It’s a great spring-board for discussion with kids about slavery and freedom, the importance of education, perserverance, and the possibility of achieving a dream now how matter big it is. I especially love that it uses Martha Ann’s making a quilt to illustrate the idea that you can share your talents, no matter what they are, to give an important gift of yourself.

I was delighted to share this inspirational book with my daughter, who has read it over and over. It’s a great book for quilters to share with the kids in their lives.

You’ll want to find this book...it’d be a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift for someone. You can find it here, or order an autographed copy here.

Kyra is a quilter herself who has done extensive research on the history of African-American quilts and quilting. Hicks has written another book (for adults) called "Black Threads: An African-American Quilting Sourcebook" which looks fascinating. Kyra's a blogger, too...You can check out her blog here.