1The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston. Text Copyright © Tony Johnston, 1985. Published by arrangement with G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved.

The Quilt Storyby Tony Johnston

Realistic fiction tells about things that could happen in real life. The exact events described in this Selection Snapshot did not really happen, but they could have.

Many years ago, a mother made a quilt for her little girl. On the quilt she stitched falling stars with long tails and her little girl’s name. Abigail loved the quilt her mother had made for her. She sat with the quilt wrapped around her and watched the dark sky for fall-ing stars. Abigail had tea with her dolls on the quilt. The quilt got tea on it. Abigail pretended the quilt was a dress. She wore it when she rode her toy horse. The quilt got torn. But her mother fixed it. Abigail and her sisters played hide-and-seek. Abigail hid under the quilt. Her sisters always found her. When Abigail was sick, she slept under the quilt. It always made her feel better. Then Abigail and her family moved far away. They went in a covered wag-on. The quilt was not stuffed into the trunks. It was not with the other blan-kets. It was around Abigail. It kept her warm. Her father built a new house in the woods. He built a new bed and a new toy horse for Abigail. But nothing was quite the same. Everything was new. Except the quilt. Her mother wrapped Abigail in the quilt. She rocked her and tucked her in. Abigail felt at home again under her quilt. When Abigail grew up, she put the very old, very loved quilt away in the at-tic. She forgot about it. A mouse found the quilt. She had babies on it. They grew up in the quilt’s stuffing and ate a falling star.

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A raccoon found the quilt and loved it too. It hid an apple in it.A cat found the quilt. It curled up on it and went to sleep, purring. A little girl came to look for the cat and found the quilt. She wrapped herself in it. She loved it. She asked her mother to fix the quilt. Her mother sewed up the holes, put in new stuffing, and stitched on new stars with long tails. Then one day the little girl and her family moved far away. They went in a car over many miles of highways. They unpacked their things in a new house. But nothing was quite the same. Everything was new. Except the quilt. The little girl’s mother wrapped her in the quilt. She rocked her and tucked her in. The little girl felt at home again under the quilt.

The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston. Text Copyright © Tony Johnston, 1985. Published by arrangement with G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved.

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