Me and My Family Tree [Library Binding]

Annette Cable (Author), Joan Sweeney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

From the creators of Me on the Map and Me and My Place in Space, here is a fun, easy introduction to genealogy for young children. As in her previous books, Sweeney demystifies an abstract concept by presenting it from a child's point of view.  In Me and My Family Tree, a young girl uses simple language, her own childlike drawings, and diagrams to explain how the members of her family are related to each other and to her.  Cable's clear, colorful, detailed artwork helps make the parts of a family--from siblings to grandparents to cousins--understandable to very young readers.  Kids can makes sense of their own family connections by filling in the blank family tree provided at the end of the book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3A little girl draws a picture of her family tree, adding her brother, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins as she repeats the phrase, Theyre all part of my family tree. After she completes the project, she asks, can you guess how I came to be? and explains that her grandparents had her mother and aunt, and that her mother and father had her brother and then her. Despite its simple text, this book fails to make the concept clear. The term family tree is not explained, so children never fully understand why the narrator is sticking pictures of her family onto her drawing of a tree. A sudden statement near the end of the book, Think of it! Everyone in the world has a family tree, seems to come out of the blue. Run-of-the-mill illustrations include scenes of relatives engaged in daily activities and pictures that represent the childs drawings of her family tree. One appealing double-page spread of the entire clan at a picnic in a park features a large tree that is sure to make confused young readers ask, Is that the family tree? A disappointing attempt at introductory genealogy.Ginny Gustin, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

As she cuts out pictures of relatives to glue on a family tree, a little girl explains who everyone is and how they are related to her. The heart of the book is a double-page spread showing her tree full of family faces. Next, in a section illustrated with drawings of family snapshots, she tells how she came to be a part of the family. Alhough librarians may wince at the last page: a family tree with blank circles so that children can fill in their own pictures, this simple, cheerful book will be an asset to preschool and primary-grade units on the family. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (May 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517709678
• ISBN-13: 978-0517709672
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,078,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Basic - perhaps too basic., June 29, 2000

By 

Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Me And My Family Tree (Hardcover)

This kids book does an adequate job of introducing the relationships in a traditional nuclear family. It includes grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins but stops there. It doesn't extend beyond one generation of ancestors nor does it deal with non-traditional families.

It does provide an example of a nice family tree project that a child can create.

"Who's Who In My Family?" by Loreen Leedy gives a child a more well-rounded introduction to the relationships in a family tree.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice family project . . . basic intro to family tree, August 5, 2000

By 

IdeaMom (Northeast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Me And My Family Tree (Hardcover)

My child and I love Joan Sweeney's books because through the obvious project they encourage (in this case -- creating a basic family tree) they open the doors for more discussion and thus a greater understanding of the topic. This book is very basic, but we've used it as a model for a fun family activity rather than a lesson about our ancestors. My 4 year old son likes its simplicity, and is learning how our family is connected.

Also, for more really fun hands-on learning inspired by literature, check out Sweeney's Me on the Map. It is excellent and will stimulate activities for weeks. Joan Sweeney's purpose in her books is to point out each child's unique place in the world, in the family, etc. Since they are written so simply, even the youngest kids get the point and are empowered by their message.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Me and My Family Tree, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Me And My Family Tree (Hardcover)

This is a great book to use to introduce the family tree in the classroom. It has simple text and bright illustrations that engage the reader. I have other books by this author and think she is great! A wonderful follow up activity is to have students construct their own family trees to display in the classroom.