Pockets

The somber, hard-working people of an isolated town on the plains ply through life in the drabbest of gray clothes–until, in the linings of their pockets, they begin to discover lavishly embroidered pictures of far-away places, sewn there by a mysterious young woman who has recently arrived and taken up work as the town’s seamstress. Exploring these stitched visions–of proud ships and sparkling oceans, of golden towers and distant cities, of buccaneers, sea serpents, and gold–the austere townspeople find themselves transformed. A husband and wife suddenly fall in love again, brightly colored flags appear on rooftops, houses are painted in azure and crimson, dances are held… Pockets is Jennifer Armstrong’s tale of people made new by their imaginations, and of the mysterious young seamstress who brings this about. Her luxurious storytelling is equaled by the rich palette and exuberance of Mary GrandPré’s illustrations.