A Stitch Through Time - by Lauren Burke (Hardcover)

About the Book

Ava and her Aunt Jo take a magical journey back in time to visit Elizabeth Keckley, Ann Cole Lowe, and Mildred Blount, three daring, gifted, and visionary Black fashion designers. The bold achievements of these inspiring women of history are celebrated in this fashion fairy tale that spotlights iconic style moments...and sparks a child's imagination.

Book Synopsis

What's inside Aunt Jo's treasure chest? That's what Ava wants to know. Then, one night, Aunt Jo hands her the key...and the two take a magical journey back in time to visit three daring, gifted, and visionary Black fashion designers: Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave who became one of the most celebrated designers of her time and personal friend of Mary Todd Lincoln; Ann Cole Lowe, a designer for Jackie Kennedy; and Mildred Blount, milliner to the stars!

The bold achievements of these inspiring women of history are celebrated in this fashion fairy tale that spotlights iconic style moments...and sparks a child's imagination.

Review Quotes

Ava is finally allowed to open Aunt Jo's mysterious trunk, and what's inside is more magical than anything Ava could've imagined.

Ava, a young Black girl, likens her Aunt Jo's house to a "fancy museum with curiosities, oddities, and doodads in every corner." So when Aunt Jo finally gives Ava the key to the trunk she's been eager to explore, she rushes to unlock it. Inside she finds what she thinks is an old blanket-more like a patchwork quilt. Ava learns that the blanket is made of fabric from gowns created by African American dressmaker and fashion designer Elizabeth Keckley. She and Aunt Jo are magically transported to the past, where they observe Keckley's work and see the people she made dresses for, like first lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Together, they learn about two other African American modistes of a bygone era: fashion designer Ann Cole Lowe and milliner Mildred Blount. The bold, colorful illustrations are eye-catching and a highlight of the book. The information about the historical figures is presented in a way that feels disconnected from the rest of the story. The narrator's identity is ambiguous, which is also confusing; the illustrations suggest that Aunt Jo is the narrator, yet the text lacks quotation marks. The book manages to provide interesting facts, but the absence of bibliographic references and backmatter is disappointing.
Interesting subject, but the story is less than satisfying. (Picture book. 5-8)

--Kirkus Reviews "https: //www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lauren-burke/stitch-through-time/" (11/16/2021 12:00:00 AM)

A speculative framework allows for an introduction to three Black fashion mavens-seamstress and author Elizabeth Keckley (1818-1907), designer Ann Cole Lowe (1898-1981), and milliner Mildred Blount (1907-1974)-as a Black child, Ava, moves through time with her aunt Jo, a "collector, adventurer, and world traveler." Opening a wooden chest, Aunt Jo pulls out a quilt crafted from Keckley's gowns, a dress made by Lowe, and a hat created by Blount, heading with her niece to scenes from their lives as Burke's didactic prose provides biographical information: "Like Elizabeth Keckley, Ann Cole Lowe designed gowns for famous and wealthy women." Crumpton offers boldly colored, digitally airbrushed illustrations, featuring figures of varying skin tones in this educational primer centering fashion. Ages 4-7. (Feb.)--Publishers Weekly "https: //www.publishersweekly.com/9781503759282" (1/6/2022 12:00:00 AM)