Overview
Who are my ancestors? What nationalities were they? What work did they do? Kids are always bursting with questions about their family history; they want more stories, more details, more facts. With these research ideas and creative projects, young would-be genealogists can get the knowledge they crave. Find out how to interview family members, dig up information from libraries and the Internet, and check the National Archives for passenger lists of newly-arrived immigrants. Uncover clues in old photos or birth, marriage, and death records. Preserve the knowledge you’ve gathered in a crayon batik family tree or a homemade diary that features favorite family stories, recipes, and traditions. Keep the togetherness going by planning a family reunion, starting a family newsletter, and more.Synopsis
Who are my ancestors? What nationalities were they? What work did they do? Kids are always bursting with questions about their family history; they want more stories, more details, more facts. With these research ideas and creative projects, young would-be genealogists can get the knowledge they crave. Find out how to interview family members, dig up information from libraries and the Internet, and check the National Archives for passenger lists of newly-arrived immigrants. Uncover clues in old photos or birth, marriage, and death records. Preserve the knowledge you've gathered in a crayon batik family tree or a homemade diary that features favorite family stories, recipes, and traditions. Keep the togetherness going by planning a family reunion, starting a family newsletter, and more.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-This upbeat overview includes many ideas for crafts and other activities. Unfortunately, it's far too vague to be of much benefit to serious students. Leavitt emphasizes fun over straightforward, specific explanations and examples. She skims the surface of (or ignores) such basics as family group sheets, censuses, online genealogy resources, etc. Many words are undefined or poorly defined, and there are several errors (the Von Trapps emigrated from Austria, not Germany; Jacques is the equivalent of Jacob, not John). Leavitt has nothing on adopted, blended, or other nontraditional families. Finally, the childish color illustrations will turn off the intended audience. The best genealogy title for children (and also extremely helpful for adults) is Ira Wolfman's Climbing Your Family Tree (Workman 2002), which is thorough, clear, interesting, and exceptionally useful.-Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.