WOW. This story is beautiful. Sometimes when we talk to kids about metaphors - a quilt where each patch is a little piece of who they are - kids take them literally. I love how Saif uses this metaphor of the quilt to discover who he is, outside of being shy. Answering his own questions about himself with an affirmation cements the thought into their inner voice. This story is so beautiful in it's message through a young boy just trying to figure out where he belongs and learning that like his quilt he is still growing. Lyrical writing woven through soft, yet, vibrant illustrations. This is a must-read.

4.5⭐️
Things such an endearing book with such a great message and gorgeous illustrations.
I liked the focused topic as young Saif learns about himself and grows through his shyness through a patchwork quilt his mother made him.

l loved that it showed him being able to take charge of himself and set out to add to his quilt and while he had some hiccups he learned food lessons about persistence.

If anything i think the book could have been a bit longer to really drive the message home as the target age

I enjoyed that it showed a Muslim young man but the message is great for anyone to learn from and enjoy.


I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Soaring Kite Books through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

There are many things that Saif wants to do, but he just feels too shy. His mother pulls out his baby quilt to remind him that the quilt, like Saif himself, continues to grow with each new exciting thing he does -- like learning the Quran or winning a scavenger hunt! Saif tries to tackle new tasks, but he quickly learns that many good things don't just happen overnight. Still, he realizes along the way that he is even more brave, smart, persistent, and helpful than he realizes.

This is such a heartfelt story with a wonderful message and beautiful illustrations. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review

Not only were the illustrations very beautiful but so was the moral of this book. As a quilt grows that his mother is making of things he's worn that have special meanings, so is he. Each quilt square is a piece of him that represents how he is as a person throughout the book to show he is not a shy guy but he is smart (there's a square from a shirt he wore when winning a scavenger hunt) and he is persistent (there's a square from what he was wearing when he was learning the Quran), as a few examples. I appreciate that this book has diverse characters as well which I think is great to be showing children at young ages.