This past weekend, I spent a day at the Indiana Historical Society. I was browsing through the books in the Basile History Market (gift shop) and noticed a children's book entitled Evie Finds Her Family Tree by Ashley B. Ransburg. I paged through it briefly, and knew that I had to buy it for my kids.
The book tells the story of a young girl (Evie) who decides to go in search of her family tree after hearing her parents mention the term. Thinking of a family tree in the most literal sense of the word, she searches each tree near her house. At each one, she finds some feature of the tree, either in its leaves or trunk or smell, that reminds her of a member of her family. She ends up collecting the leaves from all the different trees and combining them into one 'family tree.'
The book tells the story of a young girl (Evie) who decides to go in search of her family tree after hearing her parents mention the term. Thinking of a family tree in the most literal sense of the word, she searches each tree near her house. At each one, she finds some feature of the tree, either in its leaves or trunk or smell, that reminds her of a member of her family. She ends up collecting the leaves from all the different trees and combining them into one 'family tree.'
The book is beautifully illustrated, combining real life leaves and tree bark, with paper art and simple sketches of the things that Evie is imagining as she examines all of these trees. I absolutely love that this book introduces the concept of a family tree by using actual trees. Young children are very literal, and this book does a great job of showing kids how the trees they see every day can be used to tell a family's story. The story emphasizes the fact that, although everyone in a family is different, we are all part of a common "tree" and a common story.
One of the best parts of this book that I have not yet mentioned is that it comes with a family tree poster. There are spaces for photos and a place to write names under each photo. Kids can start with themselves at the trunk of the tree and make an entire poster of their family, all the way through to their great-grandparents.
One of the best parts of this book that I have not yet mentioned is that it comes with a family tree poster. There are spaces for photos and a place to write names under each photo. Kids can start with themselves at the trunk of the tree and make an entire poster of their family, all the way through to their great-grandparents.
Evie Finds Her Family Tree can be ordered through Amazon or from the Indiana Historical Society. The Indiana Historical Society also sells extra copies of the poster itself, so if you are in need of more than one, contact their gift shop.
©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder. All rights reserved.
©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder. All rights reserved.
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