Davy Brown Discovers His Roots [Hardcover]

Keely Alexander (Author), Velani Mynhardt Witthoft (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Davy Brown is a bright, all-American boy with some not-so-typical problems. His best friend may be leaving the country. His teacher has just instructed the class to describe their own immigration stories but his family doesn t have one! And if he fails the class, he may lose his spot on the baseball team. And if all that weren t bad enough, the cafeteria is serving coleslaw again... Join Davy and his friends Carlos, Erika, and Amit on their quest as they discover that even the most seemingly typical people have exciting immigration histories. Then, using the resources in this book, embark on your own voyage of discovery what fascinating immigration stories will you unearth? How many flags adorn your family tree? The answers may surprise and delight you!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Authors of Davy Brown Discovers His Roots to Sign Books at Annual Conference Cite as "AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 09050567 (posted May. 5, 2009)" Velani Mynhardt Witthöft and Keely Alexander, authors of Davy Brown Discovers His Roots will be signing copies of their book in Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 3, during the opening of the AILA exhibit hall and on Saturday morning, June 6 at the AILF booth. "The story is a great way to introduce the concept of the many ways people come to the United States permanently and temporarily. It is going to be a perfect conversation starter for a family discovering their roots or for a classroom teacher starting a unit on immigration", said Claire Tesh, of the AILF's Community Education Center. The authors not only wanted a partner who is dedicated to immigration but also an organization to which they could donate proceeds from book sales. AILF loved the concept of the story and the partnership, and after several drafts and decisions about illustrators, book covers and other final details the book is now in print and will be sold on-line, in book stores and at the American Immigration Lawyers Association's (AILA's) Annual Conference in Las Vegas. An exciting angle AILF is taking with the book is to have sponsors purchase a copy of the book which will then be sent to a classroom or library in a "hotspot" region of the immigration debate. Along with Southern Poverty Law Center, AILF is putting together a list of communities who will get a copy of the book. Books can be ordered through the AILF website. --AILA InfoNet

Velani Mynhardt Witthöft and Keely Alexander, authors of Davy Brown Discovers His Roots will be signing copies of their book in Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 3, during the opening of the AILA exhibit hall and on Saturday morning, June 6 at the AILF booth. "The story is a great way to introduce the concept of the many ways people come to the United States permanently and temporarily. It is going to be a perfect conversation starter for a family discovering their roots or for a classroom teacher starting a unit on immigration", said Claire Tesh, of the AILF's Community Education Center. The authors not only wanted a partner who is dedicated to immigration but also an organization to which they could donate proceeds from book sales. AILF loved the concept of the story and the partnership, and after several drafts and decisions about illustrators, book covers and other final details the book is now in print and will be sold on-line, in book stores and at the American Immigration Lawyers Association's (AILA's) Annual Conference in Las Vegas. An exciting angle AILF is taking with the book is to have sponsors purchase a copy of the book which will then be sent to a classroom or library in a "hotspot" region of the immigration debate. Along --Global Buzz News and Information

About the Author

Velani Mynhardt Witthoft grew up in South Africa where her entire family still lives. She graduated from the University of Pretoria in 1999 with two law degrees and practiced bankruptcy law until 2002 when she moved to New York City. In New York, she worked as a research analyst for a financial magazine on Wall Street. In 2004, she and her husband moved to Seattle where she is currently working in comparative international education assisting immigration attorneys. Keely Alexander McCammon grew up in a small town in Western Montana and is the second of five children. She attended the University of Montana in Missoula, where she received degrees in English-Literature and German. She studied abroad in both Germany and Switzerland. Afterwards, Keely worked as an editorial intern for Bugle Magazine, an ESL instructor, and spent a summer at the Denver Publishing Institute. She now lives in Seattle with her husband and stepdaughter and edits/writes game scripts for a casual gaming company.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Big Tent Books & Keely Velani LLC; 1st edition (June 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601310536
• ISBN-13: 978-1601310538
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,337,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for teaching children about American history, diversity, and world awareness., June 27, 2009

By 

K. Callender (Connecticut. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Davy Brown Discovers His Roots (Hardcover)

Davey Brown Discovers His Roots by Keely Alexander & Velani Mynhardt Witthoft and Illustrated by Manuela Pentangelo is the perfect book for parents and teachers who want to teach children the importance of our history. It sends a powerful message about understanding different backgrounds and cultures with realistic examples of what makes America the "melting pot".

Davy has been given an assignment; to create a family tree of flags showing his roots. How could he do that? He has no roots. He is simply an American, just as his parents are and their parents before them. Many of his classmates and friends have exciting adventures to share about how their families came to America. Each with many different flags representing the far away and exotic lands that they and their ancestors came from. How could he present a project with only one flag on his tree? If he doesn't finish the assignment he can not play baseball. That is not an option, since he is the star pitcher for the Ballard Vikings and the big game was coming up.

Project day comes and, as expected Davy's friends present their exciting, scary, and inspiring stories. Davy tries to make up a story, but his teacher stops him and gives him another chance to research his true history. What he finds not only amazes his classmates but surprises Davy. He learns an important lesson spoken best by Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists."

The authors did a great job of representing the diversity that is America. Davy represents the typical adolescent American; disconnected from history, unmotivated, and a little self centered. He learns not only that he has a rich history beyond his American descendants, but to also appreciate and sympathize with others.

This is a must have book for classrooms of all ages, but especially for grades 3-6 when American history, diversity, and world awareness are covered in more detail. I can't wait to take Davy Brown Discovers His Roots to the teachers I have worked with in my town.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for young children about the diversity found in the United States, July 11, 2011

By 

American Immigration Council's Community Educ... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Davy Brown Discovers His Roots (Hardcover)

Join Davy and his friends as they discover that even the most seemingly typical people have exciting immigration histories. Then, using the resources in this book, embark on your own voyage of discovery. What fascinating immigration stories will you unearth? How many flags adorn your family tree? The answers may surprise and delight you!

5.0 out of 5 stars Detective Davy travels around his world, slides into home plate, September 30, 2009

By 

Mind sifter (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Davy Brown Discovers His Roots (Hardcover)

Davy Brown is a history detective. His task is to build a family tree, which, with busy parents, eludes him. His friends Estella, Amit, and Mei Xing seem to have more striking origins than he. Not one to get bogged down, though, Davy spends plenty of time doing what kids do best, playing ball and hanging out at lunch time with friends.
We feel for Davy, we could all be him. Meandering, wondering what his next move is, Davy listens to the thought-provoking family journeys of his immigrant friends.
The real show stopper of this delightful book is the dynamic illustration that nearly peels off each page. Towards the end, the book's "edutainment" (entertainment + education) becomes apparent, as we learn that the characters represent different types of visas and paths to U.S. citizenship. But there's no place like home. For all the research Davy does, he discover a golden nugget in talking to the ultimate source, Grandma.