Her great-grandmother was a slave who sewed quilts for the owners. Her family loved to tell stories, and although she is an artist, she wanted to combine story-telling with her art work. In the story, the girl imagines how she can help her father. The first graders drew a picture on their story-quilt pages showing how they would help someone. They discuss the story and their projects below.
Tar Beach is the roof of the apartment.
They go there because only white people could go to the real beach. They didn't have enough money to go to the real beach. They talk there and they can play board games. They go there to have fun. And sometimes they eat there.