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Papa and the Pioneer Quilt
Rebecca’s papa has wandering feet. He is following his dream and taking the family west on the Oregon Trail, across prairies, rivers, and mountains. Along the way, Rebecca begins collecting pieces of cloth. In their new home, Mama will help her use these scraps to sew a quilt that will become a keepsake of their amazing, courageous journey.
Quilts have a wonderful way of holding history, and Jean Van Leeuwen’s warmly engaging story was inspired by the “wandering foot” quilt pattern that was popular during pioneer days. With sparkling illustrations by Rebecca Bond, this is a moving account of an early American girl and her cheerful optimism as her family makes a historic journey, until at last she is thrilled to arrive at the place they will finally call home.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2007
About the author
Jean Van Leeuwen
94 books34 followersJean Van Leeuwen was an American children's book author, of over forty children's books, including the Oliver Pig series, and Bound for Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 17, 2019
A family has moved west several times as Papa has wandering feet. In their ultimate move, they take the Oregon Trail west. The family came to a point where they had to split apart. Her father went to California and Rebecca and her mother went to Oregon. It showed how they had to leave their wagons behind because they came across big mountains and they became too heavy. The family settles there and Rebecca collected scraps along the way that she turns into a quilt when they arrive at their new home. The quilt that was made was very meaningful to their journey west. My favorite part of this book was the illustrations. They are made from acrylics on watercolor paper. I also enjoyed how Rebecca collected different scraps of materials she found along the way so she could make a quilt about her amazing journey.
This would be a great book to share with a class while you are discussing the early days of pioneering. The authors note at the end would help the children understand the meaning behind the importance of the quilt. This book would be appropriate for grades kindergarten through third grade. An activity I can accomplish with children is by making a quilt with everyone in the class. This can be done with pieces of small pieces of fabric. Once all the children are done designing and putting love and hardship in their square. The teacher can then take a string and weave it together to make a huge class quilt. Another activity we can accomplish is with science. As a class, we can experience how wagons and other objects are heavier as a person is going over hills (mountains), etc. We can take a trip around the playground with the children wearing their backpacks to show children that everything gets heavier to carry over time. During this journey the teacher can talk more about traveling many and many years ago.
This would be a great book to share with a class while you are discussing the early days of pioneering. The authors note at the end would help the children understand the meaning behind the importance of the quilt. This book would be appropriate for grades kindergarten through third grade. An activity I can accomplish with children is by making a quilt with everyone in the class. This can be done with pieces of small pieces of fabric. Once all the children are done designing and putting love and hardship in their square. The teacher can then take a string and weave it together to make a huge class quilt. Another activity we can accomplish is with science. As a class, we can experience how wagons and other objects are heavier as a person is going over hills (mountains), etc. We can take a trip around the playground with the children wearing their backpacks to show children that everything gets heavier to carry over time. During this journey the teacher can talk more about traveling many and many years ago.
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November 28, 2019Summary: This book talks about a girls' dad who loves to travel the world a lot. The girls mother even calls the girl's dad "wandering feet" because he loves to travel and move to different places all the time. The book talks about how her dad wants to move to Oregon next, so they set out in early spring by a wagon train to follow their father. The girl came across a lady, she told her that she collected little scraps of fabric and was going to sew the fabric into a quilt. This gave the girl an idea and she decided to do the same thing. As the family was walking to get to their destination, Oregon, her father's shirt rips and says that not even her mom can sew that shirt back. The girl decides to put this into her quilt bag. Later, the girl starts to collect a lot of fabric for her quilt throughout her journey.
Evaluation: This is a good book for children to read in grades 2nd grade and up. I loved the illustrations on this book. I didn't like how the words were not very big or bold. It made it hard for me to read because they were small and not bold. The length of the book was not overwhelming. It was not short but not long either. It was a great length read.
Lesson: This book would be a good book to read a loud to the class. The teacher can talk to the students and teach a history lesson on the American pioneers. This book would also be a good book to talk to the students about the American tradition of quilting on how back then the pioneers used whatever they could to made these type of things. Teach the children how small things such as a quilt can be so meaningful.
Evaluation: This is a good book for children to read in grades 2nd grade and up. I loved the illustrations on this book. I didn't like how the words were not very big or bold. It made it hard for me to read because they were small and not bold. The length of the book was not overwhelming. It was not short but not long either. It was a great length read.
Lesson: This book would be a good book to read a loud to the class. The teacher can talk to the students and teach a history lesson on the American pioneers. This book would also be a good book to talk to the students about the American tradition of quilting on how back then the pioneers used whatever they could to made these type of things. Teach the children how small things such as a quilt can be so meaningful.
August 11, 2018
This is a historical fiction book set during the Oregon Trail period of US History. The story starts with a family deciding to make the trek to Oregon country. Along the way, the oldest girl befriends a woman who is collecting scraps to make a quilt and decides to do the same. As they progress across the country the little girl picks up bits and pieces of fabric: a sunbonnet from a friend made on the trail, bits of a torn shirt, a tablecloth left behind. When the family arrives in Oregon and becomes settled in their new home, the mother and daughter piece the new quilt representing their journey across the country. The illustrations are acrylics on watercolor paper. They are truly beautiful, you can see each of the hardships the family faces and yet you can also feel the hope that they have as they cross the country.
This would be an excellent book to use with the elementary or middle grades. It could be pat of a unit on the Oregon trail. It could also be used to point out that all kinds of things are historical artifacts, not just written documents. Treating quilts as historical artifacts and as art would be a wonderful lesson to teach children. In a call on quilting/textile arts, I would use this book to discuss "crazy quilts" and how nothing was wasted during a time when quilting was seen as a leisure activity when there was very little time for leisure. This book has a lot to offer a classroom teacher.
This would be an excellent book to use with the elementary or middle grades. It could be pat of a unit on the Oregon trail. It could also be used to point out that all kinds of things are historical artifacts, not just written documents. Treating quilts as historical artifacts and as art would be a wonderful lesson to teach children. In a call on quilting/textile arts, I would use this book to discuss "crazy quilts" and how nothing was wasted during a time when quilting was seen as a leisure activity when there was very little time for leisure. This book has a lot to offer a classroom teacher.
January 29, 2021
Perfect read along for a westward expansion study! We grabbed a map of the US and traveled along with Rebecca (the story’s narrator.) Beginning in Pennsylvania where she was born- through Ohio, Indiana and Missouri where her siblings were born and then all the way to the west coast of Oregon, the story brings to life,in a childlike, magical way, life as a pioneer! Rebecca collects her scraps of fabric through experiences along the way. The picture where the children are under the quilt, in their new log home, with a burning fire is pure coziness. 🥰 historic note at end is an added bonus- we looked up and enjoyed seeing pics of ‘wandering feet’ and ‘turkey track’ quilt patterns. ☺️
March 4, 2024
A lovely little pioneer book following a family and their journey west with a father who has "wandering feet." Inspired by a friend in their wagon train, the main character collects scraps of fabric from her journey and quilts them together into a pattern called Wandering Foot - although she hopes now her father's feet will stay in their new home! The illustrations are absolutely perfect and make the story come alive!
Kids Ages: 5,4, and 1.5
Read: March 2024
Kids Ages: 5,4, and 1.5
Read: March 2024
December 17, 2016
A family has moved west several times as Papa has wandering feet. In their ultimate move, they take the Oregon Trail west. Rebecca collects scraps along the way that she turns into a quilt when they arrive at their new home.
September 26, 2022
A family sets out for Oregon in a wagon train. The MC meets a young bride who shows her scraps gathered for a quilt, so the MC does the same, and sews a beautiful 'Wandering Foot' quilt.
Supplemental read for our Westward Expansion history unit.
Supplemental read for our Westward Expansion history unit.
July 24, 2017
This book was nice. I think my favorite part was the illustrations. It was a very colorful and beautiful depiction of the pioneers and was a nice piece of quilting history as well.
September 17, 2017
Too long for younger children but has a good story
June 15, 2018
A little girl and her family set out to Oregon on their wagon. The little girl decided to start collecting scraps of fabric to make a quilt when they get to Oregon.
November 12, 2018
Sweet.
11/12/18 Read with Julia.
11/12/18 Read with Julia.
September 4, 2020
Such a sweet story of a little girl and now she collected fabric for a quilt on their journey out west!
May 8, 2015
Preschool-second grade
I liked this. It's reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie. A father who is described as having wandering feet sets off to the west with his family. Some of the events in the book are even pretty similar to those in Little House.
The language is fairly simple, though there are some rare words such as scamp, britches, tatters, and trudged. The sentences are a nice mix of compound, complex, and a few simple sentences. There is a nice mix of dialogue.
The illustrations are lovely. Most illustrations completely fill the pages. They are done in acrylics on watercolor paper. They have a nice, curving softness to them, with very few straight lines. Even the houses are shown with a slight distortion to their roofs, everything leaning left to right, as if everything is traveling. Throughout the beginning, we always see wandering-footed Papa diagonally leaning left-to-right, as though he is stretching forward on his journey. It's not until they arrive in Oregon that we see him planted, actually leaning right-to-left, as though he's skidded to a stop, firmly staying in one spot.
This would be an excellent addition to lessons on pioneers. I would probably use this with second graders, as it seems that lessons on pioneering is common in second grade. This would give kids a good picture in their head of some of the terms studied during a unit on pioneers, such as oxen, covered wagons, and concepts like having to leave behind treasured family belongings on the trail.
I liked this. It's reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie. A father who is described as having wandering feet sets off to the west with his family. Some of the events in the book are even pretty similar to those in Little House.
The language is fairly simple, though there are some rare words such as scamp, britches, tatters, and trudged. The sentences are a nice mix of compound, complex, and a few simple sentences. There is a nice mix of dialogue.
The illustrations are lovely. Most illustrations completely fill the pages. They are done in acrylics on watercolor paper. They have a nice, curving softness to them, with very few straight lines. Even the houses are shown with a slight distortion to their roofs, everything leaning left to right, as if everything is traveling. Throughout the beginning, we always see wandering-footed Papa diagonally leaning left-to-right, as though he is stretching forward on his journey. It's not until they arrive in Oregon that we see him planted, actually leaning right-to-left, as though he's skidded to a stop, firmly staying in one spot.
This would be an excellent addition to lessons on pioneers. I would probably use this with second graders, as it seems that lessons on pioneering is common in second grade. This would give kids a good picture in their head of some of the terms studied during a unit on pioneers, such as oxen, covered wagons, and concepts like having to leave behind treasured family belongings on the trail.
March 3, 2016
Papa and the Pioneer quilt is about a family whose father is adventurous when it comes to deciding where his family lives. They are constantly moving state to state. There are representations and events that happen in the book that are very realistic and tell about what could very well have happened to the pioneers when they traveled America.
The story is once again told by the daughter in the family which relates to the children reading the book. The illustrations are quite cute and tie in well with the story. There are some double-page spreads and full bleeds throughout the book that add to the time passing as well as the expansion of the setting.
There are some pages that are white and have little blurbs of illustration on the pages that are generally where the text is put. When the text is on a full bleed they are generally on lighter parts of the illustrations so that it is not too hard to read.
You could use this book to talk about the traveling the pioneers went through as well as use it to introduce some new vocabulary to your kids. In place of the typical author's note where it would tell you about the true story the story they wrote applies to, there is a piece about patterns of quilts and how they apply to the nickname the wife gave the father in the book with all the traveling he did. I thought that this was cool because it isn't like typical historical fictions books that you often read but also informs you of something that you could see in every day life.
The story is once again told by the daughter in the family which relates to the children reading the book. The illustrations are quite cute and tie in well with the story. There are some double-page spreads and full bleeds throughout the book that add to the time passing as well as the expansion of the setting.
There are some pages that are white and have little blurbs of illustration on the pages that are generally where the text is put. When the text is on a full bleed they are generally on lighter parts of the illustrations so that it is not too hard to read.
You could use this book to talk about the traveling the pioneers went through as well as use it to introduce some new vocabulary to your kids. In place of the typical author's note where it would tell you about the true story the story they wrote applies to, there is a piece about patterns of quilts and how they apply to the nickname the wife gave the father in the book with all the traveling he did. I thought that this was cool because it isn't like typical historical fictions books that you often read but also informs you of something that you could see in every day life.
May 9, 2015
While at first I wasn’t drawn into the story, once I learned about the quilt I became more interested. I enjoyed hearing the short tales of how Rebecca acquired each scrap for her quilt. Historically speaking, I thought this book did reflect the hardships families endured during westward expansion on a primary level. It would be a good way to introduce this part of American’s history to young students. Another aspect of the story I enjoyed was the way the quilt represented the journey. It shows the significance of the journey traveling west on a wagon. Some lesson’s I envision doing with students after reading this book would be to compare and contrast Rebecca’ trip to a trip each student has taken. Also, as an extension and to highlight the journey’s difficulty, I would have students think of a difficult thing they went through and write a narrative and draw a quilt for it.
November 23, 2015
I loved the book series and TV show "Little House on the Praire" and this is very reminiscent of those. A father during the pioneer times moved his family west so he could follow his own dreams. His young daughter, Rebecca learns about making a quilt and gathers material along the way. Each piece of material has a story to tell making the quilt a story quilt of her travels to the west. This reminds me of my own children's traveling blankets. Rather than making our own quilt, we bought one and would buy patches everywhere we went so they could recall all the places they visited and what stories they had to tell about those places. What a wonderful story!
February 9, 2016
this is a neat storybook to help teach the little guys how it was to have to travel on a wagon train years and years ago. A little girl was told by another young woman on the wagon train with her that she was saving scraps to make a quilt for when they get where they are going. The little girl wants to do the same so her Mama gives her a container to put stuff in. And along the way when clothes get torn or beyond repair she's saved pieces. Pieces of her Dad's clothes, her brothers clothes, even a piece that that lady gave to her. And after all the months on the trail she had enough to make that quilt.
March 14, 2021
This story is about a new beginning for a family. Rebecca and her family moved many times. Her father had wondering feet. Rebecca met a young, newly married women who told her that the only possession she owned was a teapot. This young woman told Rebecca about how she was collecting material to make a quilt persevering the memories of their journey. Rebecca decided to do the same thing. This book has some historical references, but it not a historical book. The illustrations are like water colors and the expression on the faces of the character are funny, and show great emotion. It is a great picture book.
December 11, 2007
This book gives and idea of the hard ships settlers faced during the westward expansion. I loved how the young girl collected scraps of fabric to make a quilt at the end of the journey. Each scrap reminded her of a specific experience she had on the trip to Oregon. Since I am a scrap booker, I love to collect things that will help remind me of important times in my life. I plan on arranging my students work in a scrapbook that is meaningful to them. I would read this book to 1st through 3rd graders or any grade that is studying the westward expansion.
July 6, 2009
A family picks up and moves to Oregon, wearing out their shoes and clothes and oxen on the way. The little girl hears about a quilt another traveler plans on making and gets the idea to collect scraps of her own to also make a quilt. Any old scrap of fabric can be used to make a quilt. For one awful moment, I thought she was going to drag the shirt off of a dead man's chest. Yo ho ho, and on to Oregon. Papa finally should stop his wandering when he runs out of land.
June 14, 2015
A 19th century, Missouri family sets out for Oregon and the promise of the richest farmland to be had. The trail is long and hard and along the way they are forced to lighten the load. The narrator collects pieces of fabric along the way and when they arrive she and her mother make a wandering foot quilt, a pattern still used today.
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April 23, 2008Ok, so for ME (Jake) at 5, I hard a hard time listening to and understanding this book. BUT it's a great story and a great introduction to the whole wagon train / adventure out west thing.
July 7, 2008
We all enjoyed this book about a pioneer family's journey across the country. I liked the quilt aspect and history, and the boys liked the story. A win-win! :)
October 25, 2010
I like to use this to talk about Quilt patters and westward expansion. Can compare with Apples to Oregon.
July 16, 2012
Good story to go along with the Oregon Trail.
November 24, 2014
A family of pioneers learn family values thru the art of quilt story-telling. This book is a beautiful celebration of quilts and art history and should be read by as many as possible.
May 4, 2015
"It was good. I learned about traveling during a different time." Says my 5 year old reader; LJ
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April 6, 20171. None
2. 1st grade
3. This is a story about the Oregon Trail and a family's adventure. A little girl collects pieces of cloth and makes a quilt over the course of their journey.
4. I thought this book was very wonderful. From the pictures to the story itself, it is a great read for younger children. It is a very optimistic story.
5. This story could lead to children making their own quilts based on a vacation or a story that they like. The quilts don't have to be actual quilts, but even a piece of paper with a bunch of other papers glued would suffice.
2. 1st grade
3. This is a story about the Oregon Trail and a family's adventure. A little girl collects pieces of cloth and makes a quilt over the course of their journey.
4. I thought this book was very wonderful. From the pictures to the story itself, it is a great read for younger children. It is a very optimistic story.
5. This story could lead to children making their own quilts based on a vacation or a story that they like. The quilts don't have to be actual quilts, but even a piece of paper with a bunch of other papers glued would suffice.
April 6, 2017
1. Awards the book has received (if any):
2. Appropriate grade level(s): Pre-school to third grade
3. Original 3-line summary: Papa's wandering feet have taken Rebecca's family many places, and now he is moving them west to Oregon. Along the way, they encounter obstacles that many people faced while traveling on the Oregon Trail in the 1800s. As they're traveling Rebecca gathers scraps and eventually knits a quilt for her and her siblings to use in their new home in Oregon.
4. Original 3-line review: This book is adorable! It reminded me a lot of The Little House on the Prairie and reminded me of when I learned about the Oregon trail in elementary school. The illustrations were cute and the story was engaging.
5. 2-3 possible in-class uses: Students can bring in a basket of items they would bring with them while traveling, students can write about what could happen as they journey on the Oregon trail, and you can make a class quilt with the students each designing a little square.
2. Appropriate grade level(s): Pre-school to third grade
3. Original 3-line summary: Papa's wandering feet have taken Rebecca's family many places, and now he is moving them west to Oregon. Along the way, they encounter obstacles that many people faced while traveling on the Oregon Trail in the 1800s. As they're traveling Rebecca gathers scraps and eventually knits a quilt for her and her siblings to use in their new home in Oregon.
4. Original 3-line review: This book is adorable! It reminded me a lot of The Little House on the Prairie and reminded me of when I learned about the Oregon trail in elementary school. The illustrations were cute and the story was engaging.
5. 2-3 possible in-class uses: Students can bring in a basket of items they would bring with them while traveling, students can write about what could happen as they journey on the Oregon trail, and you can make a class quilt with the students each designing a little square.
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August 2, 2018School Library Journal recommends this book for K-3rd grade.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews