The Politics of Learning: "You Monkeys Need To Read"
When I first read the prompt for the Cherrywood Storytime Challenge, I worried a little. I couldn’t immediately think of a children’s book that fit the limited color palette, and I worried I’d miss the mark entirely. Then I looked down and saw one of my son’s favorite books on the floor: Caps for Sale. It was the same book my mother loved reading to me when I was little—and later to my son—its simple shapes and rolling hills suddenly clicked perfectly with the Cherrywood colors in front of me.
But while Caps for Sale provided the spark, this art quilt goes much deeper than nostalgia or childhood whimsy. The five monkeys in my quilt represent me and my four siblings—loud, chaotic, curious kids who were constantly in motion until our parents put books in our hands. Reading was never framed as a chore in our house; it was play, learning, and responsibility all at once. If we asked a question, our parents didn’t rush to answer it for us. Instead, they asked a question back: Have you figured it out for yourself yet? Have you used your brain? (Those who know my father know this remark came much sassier at times, but the encouragement was the same.)
That philosophy shaped everything for us. My parents raised us to read constantly and to trust our ability to think, question, and learn independently. The stitched phrases throughout the quilt—“you monkeys you,” “read & learn,” and “use your brain”—reflect both the language of Caps for Sale and the values my parents instilled in us as readers and as people. Their voices still echo in my head, urging curiosity over compliance and understanding over ease.
While the Cherrywood Storytime Challenge centers on joyful memories and classic books, I can’t separate those memories from the moment we’re living in now. We are surrounded by people who openly reject reading, dismiss learning as elitist or dangerous, and prefer knowledge spoon-fed by authoritarian figures rather than earned through curiosity and effort. This quilt is my response to that reality. Like the monkeys in Caps for Sale, we are all impressionable at some point—listening, copying, absorbing what we’re shown—but reading gives us the tools to stop mimicking and start thinking for ourselves.
My nostalgia isn’t just bedtime stories or beloved illustrations. It’s hearing my parents insist—again and again—that thinking for yourself matters. You Monkeys Need to Read is a reminder that literacy is not neutral, that reading is formative, and that the habits we build in childhood shape whether we grow into adults who question, learn, and resist easy answers. I am who I am because my parents handed me books and trusted my mind to do the rest.
Creative process: I designed this piece in Affinity Designer. I pieced the hill background using templates, then appliqued the images on top by hand. Since this book is so special to Timothy, I let him help me with the monkey faces :). It's a little wonky, but I think it's so special when considering my siblings' and my unique faces! Shoutout to Aurifil for providing the best threads to complete this art quilt. I will never hand-quilt with embroidery floss ever again...but still so thankful for these colors that made my whole piece come together.
Artist Statement: "You Monkeys Need to Read is a nod to Caps for Sale, my parents, and a love of reading that I wish our country shared more widely. I use five monkeys to represent myself and my four siblings—chaotic and curious until our parents put books in our hands and taught us that reading was play, knowledge, and responsibility. The stitched phrases suggest the way our parents pushed us to question, think independently, and resist easy answers. In a time when reading is treated as dangerous or pointless, this quilt insists that literacy, curiosity, learning, and self-directed thinking are developed early…and are essential to who we become."
Iteration 1 didn't feel quite right! Too much going on (thanks to the kind and gentle words of my friend Beth, haha)
