This was a sweet poem book where each page featured a quilt--some even homemade by Anna Hines herself. The poems mostly focused on nature, which were also the themes of the quilts. I really like the idea of making quilts the background of a page. Aesthetically, it's really neat to me. My favorite poem was "Misplaced?" It describes the lush blooming flowers in multiple vivacious ways; the lines are so compelling when iterating their blooming vigor. Then, the punchline, "But, I am curious to know, since bloomers are not sleepyheads, why do they grow in flower beds?" Too cute! ( )

This book's style was very similar to the author's other book, "Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts About Peace". The book contains several poems, mostly free-verse, about the seasons with beautiful quilt illustrations on each page. I think the book would be wonderful to include in school libraries and even in classrooms. The book can be used to introduce students to poetry. It can also be incorporated into a science class when discussing the different seasons. ( )

Anna Grossnickle Hines creates two art forms represented in this book: her poetry and her quilting. She uses a variety of poetic styles as she tells the tales of the seasons throughout the year. Each poem different from the last in mood, theme, and style. Her quilts are magnificent and support each poem uniquely. ( )

"Pieces: A Year in Poems & Quilts" was a very cute collection of poems that follow the seasons. I enjoyed the poems a lot, but I think the real star of this book was the illustrations. This is the first time I've ever seen a book illustrated by quilts and I hope that this isn't the last time. I even enjoyed the story at the end about how the author/illustrator first got into quilt-making through her mother.

The majority of the poems were short, which are my favorite kind. "Just When I Thought" and "Good Heavens" were two of my favorites. ( )

Pieces is a unique way of blending two artistic creations. The year in quilt designs and poems with descriptions of the signs of the seasons are woven together. Each poem is a beautiful picture of a day experienced through sound, color and movement. The designs are colorful and expressive, but the best part is the use of words to express sound and smell of that day of the year.

I loved this book and appreciate Anna's love of quilting that began with her mother and spread to her whole family. She helped surprise her mother with a quilt made for her by telling her mom she was going to write a book about quilting. Eventually, that is just what she did!

These poems are beautiful, but laid on the backdrop of the colorful quilts, they are spectacular.

Kids always love putting a puzzle together. Paper quilt shapes could be available for "piecing" a quilt together on a paper backing and glued on.

It would be fun to look for words that are written to sound like the sound they make: Psst!, Pop!, Pow! and Ping! This book is full of examples. ( )