Customer Reviews

Davy Brown Discovers His Roots

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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.

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!

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.