Heart-touching stories themed around 12 beloved quilt patterns offer comfort and inspiration to readers.

For countless generations, patchwork quilts have been a visible act of love. In the Prayers and Squares Ministry, though, the quilt has become a visible act of prayer. Begun in California in 1992, Prayers and Squares now has some 200 chapters throughout the world.

The main character of Coretta Scott King Award and Caldecott Honor winner Tar Beach returns in this imaginative exploration of words, with illustrations that echo artist Faith Ringgold's famous story quilts. Join Cassie, the main character from the picture book Tar Beach, as she takes readers on a tour of her home, neighborhood, and school, introducing dozens of new words and their meaning. Young readers will relish the beautifully designed spreads, each with its own quilt motif. A perfect storytime for kids of all ages, the bright, boldly colored pages will attract even the youngest lookers, while teaching vocabulary and important pre-reading skills to older children.

CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD WINNER • CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK Acclaimed artist Faith Ringgold seamless weaves fiction, autobiography, and African American history into a magical story that resonates with the universal wish for freedom, and will be cherished for generations. Cassie Louise Lightfoot has a dream: to be free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. One night, up on “tar beach,” the rooftop of her family’s Harlem apartment building, her dreams come true. The stars lift her up, and she flies over the city, claiming the buildings and the city as her own. As Cassie learns, anyone can fly. “All you need is somewhere to go you can’t get to any other way. The next thing you know, you’re flying among the stars.”

At first glance, Amish quilts may appear curiously similar to works by the great abstract artists of the twentieth century. With their vibrant colors and bold geometric forms, the handcrafted designs seem reminiscent of paintings by Joseph Albers, Mark Rothko, and Frank Stella, among others. This visual coincidence invites a deeper appreciation of the quilts and the communities in which they were created. Closer examination reveals that the principles of the Amish faith-simplicity, humility, discipline, and community-are masterfully stitched into each design. Colorful and dynamic, the remarkable quilts radiate the harmony and dignity of Amish life while providing a window onto the history of American art and textile traditions. Published in conjunction with the exhibition organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown explores the origins, techniques, and context of these visual masterpieces. More than seventy-five quilts originating in communities throughout Pennsylvania and the Midwest from the 1880s to the 1940s are presented with contributions by three quilt experts: Joe Cunningham, a well-known quilt artist, author, and lecturer; Robert Shaw, an independent curator of numerous quilt exhibitions; and Janneken Smucker, a doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware specializing in quilts from the Amish and Mennonite traditions.

From authors Ruth McHaney Danner and Cristine Bolley comes a collection of meditations that quilters, both veterans and novices, will enjoy. Each of the fifty-plus chapters includes a true story on a quilt-related theme, followed by "The Quilting Frame" (a spiritual application), "God's Template" (a relevant Scripture), "The Binding Stitch" (a brief prayer), and the "Scrap Bag" (a practical quilting tip). The authors' hope is that readers will "come to realize that the ultimate Giver of comfort is God Himself, who sometimes offers His comfort through human hands holding needles and thread and scissors and fabric."

The author presents a collection of 150 contemporary African American quilts and the stories behind both the quilts and the quilters.