The Josefina Story Quilt

This sweet story is a favorite for units on the American pioneer era as well as using quilting to preserve memories.

Faith's family is heading west! It's 1850, and it's time to pack their covered wagon to prepare for the journey to California and a new life.

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?

As a five-star review from a teacher put it: "My students love this one! Each chapter has a quilt block to go with it. Faith works on the quilt blocks as they travel and each block tells a story about part of the journey. In the end they sew the blocks together to make a Josefina story quilt."

The Josefina Story Quilt is a Level Three I Can Read book. Level 3 includes many fun subjects kids love to read about on their own. Themes include friendship, adventure, historical fiction, and science. Level Three books are written for early independent readers. They include some challenging words and more complex themes and stories.

Eleanor Coerr is the author of many books for young readers, including The Big Baloon Race, a Reading Rainbow book, Chang's Paper Pony, and The Josefina Story Quilt, a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies.

Bruce Degen is the bestselling author and illustrator of the beloved, perennial favorite Jamberry and numerous award-winning books for children. He is the author and illustrator of Daddy Is a Doodlebug and Sailaway Home as well as the illustrator of the highly acclaimed Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole; the ever-popular Jesse Bear books by Nancy White Carlstrom; Jazzmatazz! by Stephanie Calmenson; and Shirley's Wonderful Baby by Valiska Gregory (available at your local library).

Bruce Degen's involvement with art has ranged from painting and printmaking to teaching art in New York City schools and directing an artists' lithography studio in Israel. Mr. Degen studied art at the Cooper Union and Pratt Institute. He was born in Brooklyn, New York--just like Charlie Muttnik--and now lives with his family in Connecticut.