The Little Ghost who was a Quilt by Riel Nason and Byron Eggenschwiler is a charming story about embracing difference and how one simple encounter can change your whole perspective.

I believe every child has a book that sticks with them long after they have “grown out” of it. For me it was a Halloween book called The Witch who was Afraid of Witches by Alice Low and Karen Gundershiemer. It really stuck with me because it turned the idea of witches on its head in my young mind. The Little Ghost who was a Quilt has that same quality. It is a book that will stick with young readers because isn’t it silly for a ghost to be a quilt. In the story Riel Nason describes all of the things that make being a quilt ghost really tough, creating a sadness within the character and a weight to it that many young children experience when they feel different from their peers. A chance encounter helps the ghost to realize that being a quilt is actually pretty special and there are things a quilt ghost can do that no other ghost can. 

We LOVE Byron Eggenschwiler’s illustrations. A simple colour palette brings this story to life and captures the perfect Halloween vibe. It really is a treasure book that will spend many years on your bookshelf and you will return to it year after year.

I also come from a long line of quilt loving women. My grandmother continues to make “blankets”, as she calls them, even now in her mid-nineties. My mom, my aunts, my sisters-in-law, many cousins and I have all tried the art of quilt making with various degrees of results but we have all found the enjoyment and the beauty in this cozy art. In fact the only thing that kept me occupied during the long COVID spring is making blankets, one for The Bear, one for The Bee and one for me. The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt is a special book that makes us long for the short days when we can curl up with a cozy blanket and read.