The Canada Geese Quilt: a book that gives one a sense of family pride

By Isgaelle IsmaSpecial to CSMS MagazineThis tale is about a girl named Ariel. She is ten years old, and she can draw. She is the only child her parents have. She lives with her parents and her grandmother. Ariel is an enormous artist, who knows how to draw real well. Everyday a colony of geese would come over Miles Hill, flying low and fast heading north where Ariel lives. That gives Ariel the inspiration she needs to draw for the day. Ariel and her mother don’t talk frequently, but she talks to the grandmother a lot. Ariel mother used to be an artist, but when she got pregnant with Ariel, she decided to quit.     One day the mother decides to invite some friends and families to the house for a big dinner and for a big announcement. That creates a big suspense, for no one knows what the big news is going to be. However, they are all excited while anxiously waiting for the big announcement. Ariel is kind of scared, so is everybody else. When everybody arrives to hear the big news, the mother tells them that she is pregnant, and it is a boy.     Everybody starts to whisper at each other. Ariel gets up and leave, appearing furious. She doesn’t want a new child in the family, because she thinks that when the baby is born, everybody will forget about her. Ariel worries about the coming of a new baby. To make matters worse, her grandmother becomes sick, and her illness will change the warm familiar life on her family Vermont farm. She had suffered a stroke.      The mother talks to Ariel about the coming of the new baby. After a couple of days, Ariel starts feeling okay and happy for her mother. Ariel decides to give the baby-to-be a gift. She will personally make the gift with the help of her grandmother when she gets better. Ariel combines her artistic talent and her grandmother knowledge to make a special quilt for the baby.      When the baby is born, Ariel is extremely happy because she has a baby brother. She realizes that having a brother is just what she needs. Now she has someone to play with. The same day, Ariel and grandma give the quilt to the baby. The mother and the father are so contented for having a quilt for the new baby. That makes her parents believe that Ariel truly understands the point of having a baby brother. Everybody comes to see the baby and brings gifts for him. They are all so happy for having someone new in the family.       This book is so fascinating. It has all the components to make one keep reading. I could not put the book down, and it was painful each time my parents told me that it was time to go to bed. The book describes the lovely time in the 1940s. It makes one want to go back in time. The author is Natalie Kinsey, who lives in Vermont and who is a cross-country ski instructor. I would recommend this book anyone. Isgealle Isma is a freshman from South Plantation High in Plantation, Florida. She wrote this article especially for CSMS Magazine.