First-Graders Collect Signatures from Children’s Book Authors for “Famous Authors Quilt”

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The letters came from as far away as England and Mexico, but the first grade students were especially delighted with the mail received from Greenville. The cause of the excitement? Much-loved authors responded enthusiastically to the first-graders’ requests for autographed quilt squares. The project, initiated by Lower School librarian Melissa Adair, was a big success, with 27 authors responding from around the globe.

Students worked together in pairs, first selecting an author and reading several of their books. Next, letters were carefully crafted, with each class working together to decide on the content. The letters were typed, stuffed and sealed, with a blank quilt square enclosed for the authors to return.

While the letters were sent in October, the students gave the authors a deadline of January 31 to return the signed squares. After months of patient waiting, they were thrilled to see the results.




Students were most excited to have responses from local authors. Michael and Jill Cogdill, authors of Cracker the Crab and the Sideways Afternoon, sent an illustrated square, and students were thrilled to receive a signed square from How I Became a Pirate author Melinda Long.




One pair was especially excited to see that their author, Norman Bridwell of the Clifford the Big Red Dog books, included an autographed poster in addition to his signed quilt square.




Mrs. Adair gathered the students in the library to read the responses and show off the quilt squares. Parent help will be enlisted to put the quilt together, and it will hang in the Lower School for all of the students to enjoy.