Roots For Kids – Second Edition; by Susan Provost Beller; Published 2007, 104 pp; Soft Cover, 8.5x11; ISBN: 9780806317779; Item # GPC422

Many youngsters are curious about their heritage. They know their parents, and if they are lucky they know—maybe even live with—one or more grandparents. But the average elementary school boy or girl (in the fourth through sixth grades, say) only knows about living relatives. This book will help them learn more, to dig more deeply, to understand how to do the research necessary to create a simple family tree. It will give them both the tools and the appetite to learn more about their roots, to uncover the stories and events that make them and their families unique.

Roots for Kids is based on a twelve-week course the author developed for her fourth grade class. Each chapter is based on a forty-five minute classroom session. While the book is suitable for teachers seeking to supplement their social studies curriculum with material on family history, it will be used principally by a whole range of young people in their first attempt at genealogical research.

The book is written at a level appropriate to its audience. The author moves slowly and carefully as she takes the young readers through an introduction to genealogy, then to discussions of their families and their parents' families, teaching them how to ask questions, how to organize their materials, and how to use the Internet to conduct research in local, state, and national records. This second edition, moreover, explains how easy it is for these youngsters to explore genealogy databases and to tap into the online resources of libraries and historical societies without leaving home.

A native of Burlington, Vermont, Susan Beller has been involved in genealogical research for more than three decades. In addition to her teaching experience with young people, she has taught advanced genealogy courses to adult education classes.

"Roots For Kids" Book Review