The Blessing Cup, Hardcover/Patricia Polacco

``The skeins of faith and love that connect a family are all knit together in this powerful, accessible, and deeply affecting story. `` -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review A New York Times bestseller A bond of love unites a family throughout generations in this companion to the beloved and bestselling classic The Keeping Quilt. As a young Russian Jewish girl in the early 1900s, Anna and her family lived in fear of the Czar's soldiers. The family lived a hard life and had few possessions--their treasure was a beautiful china tea set. A wedding gift to Anna's parents, the tea set came with a wish that ``Anyone who drinks from this will have blessings from God. They will never know a day of hunger. Their lives will always have flavor. They will know love and joy and they will never be poor.`` When Anna's family leaves Russia for America, they bring the tea set and its blessings. A source of heritage and security, the tea set helps Anna's family make friends and find better lives in America. A cup from the tea set-- The Blessing Cup-- became an anchor of family history, and it remains a symbol of lasting love more than a century later. This tender tribute to the importance of loving lineage is a prequel and companion to the perennial bestseller The Keeping Quilt and is told and illustrated with authenticity and tremendous heart.