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bibliotequeish's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun and informative book.
This would be great for someone in middle school, it offered a lot of information, but not in an overpowering way.
The illustrations were pretty and it covered a lot of ground.
I think a book with modern prominent figures would be great and maybe a little more interesting for a younger reader.
But I love this premise, I think its a really smart idea.
This would be great for someone in middle school, it offered a lot of information, but not in an overpowering way.
The illustrations were pretty and it covered a lot of ground.
I think a book with modern prominent figures would be great and maybe a little more interesting for a younger reader.
But I love this premise, I think its a really smart idea.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the idea of this book, but once it was all said and done, there wasn't much there, there, as Gerturde Stein said about Oakland.
The idea is to take famous people, and show how their families of their family tree were also itnersting people. At least that was what I gathered. Like the Barrymores all went on with acting, and Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda did. Or the way the Roosevelts had famous presidents in their lineage. Or That was what I was expecting.
But, instead, we got examples like Laura Ingles Wilder, where only Laura, and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, went on to do anything, and the rest were just fodder for stories.
The families they picked were interesting choices, but usually only the famous person did something, well, famous.
Perhaps there should have been more on each person.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The idea is to take famous people, and show how their families of their family tree were also itnersting people. At least that was what I gathered. Like the Barrymores all went on with acting, and Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda did. Or the way the Roosevelts had famous presidents in their lineage. Or That was what I was expecting.
But, instead, we got examples like Laura Ingles Wilder, where only Laura, and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, went on to do anything, and the rest were just fodder for stories.
The families they picked were interesting choices, but usually only the famous person did something, well, famous.
Perhaps there should have been more on each person.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
michelle_neuwirth_gray9311's review against another edition
3.0
I found the information interesting but the format hard to follow.
alstrath's review against another edition
3.0
A great book for kids.
Very brightly illustrated.
The fact boxes are full of interesting tidbits.
I also liked the explanation in the beginning as to how family trees work and how to "read" a family tree.
I found the family trees well laid out once you study them with interesting tidbits on various important members in each family. The illustrations in the family trees themselves are a nice touch for children who are more visual readers than adults.
A nice selection of famous folk - some very well-known and some lesser known, but still just as influential.
My only "gripe" is the font used for the parts of main explanations may be a bit difficult for some children to read.
Very brightly illustrated.
The fact boxes are full of interesting tidbits.
I also liked the explanation in the beginning as to how family trees work and how to "read" a family tree.
I found the family trees well laid out once you study them with interesting tidbits on various important members in each family. The illustrations in the family trees themselves are a nice touch for children who are more visual readers than adults.
A nice selection of famous folk - some very well-known and some lesser known, but still just as influential.
My only "gripe" is the font used for the parts of main explanations may be a bit difficult for some children to read.
erine's review against another edition
2.0
This book may have suffered from my own too-big expectations. I loved the concept, loved the illustrations, and enjoyed the tidbits of information.
I appreciate the difficulties of laying out a family tree on a single page, but still had a hard time with some of the layouts. Each tree had it's own lovely vibe, but this means that each page required a bit of fresh deciphering to figure out the link lines. Each tree was bordered by a double line that occasionally (and confusingly) connected folks who should not have been connected. Each focal person is depicted *slightly* larger than the rest of the people in the tree, but not by a lot. So each time it took me a minute to find the "main character" of the tree. And then in Mary Shelley's family tree, her stepmother and every single one of her stepmother's children as well as Lord Byron lived from 1768-1841. This was a very distracting typo.
There were suggested additional resources, but I don't think these were actual source material for this book.
I appreciate the difficulties of laying out a family tree on a single page, but still had a hard time with some of the layouts. Each tree had it's own lovely vibe, but this means that each page required a bit of fresh deciphering to figure out the link lines. Each tree was bordered by a double line that occasionally (and confusingly) connected folks who should not have been connected. Each focal person is depicted *slightly* larger than the rest of the people in the tree, but not by a lot. So each time it took me a minute to find the "main character" of the tree. And then in Mary Shelley's family tree, her stepmother and every single one of her stepmother's children as well as Lord Byron lived from 1768-1841. This was a very distracting typo.
There were suggested additional resources, but I don't think these were actual source material for this book.
laurag22's review
4.0
This is a really different sort of book. It contains the short biographies and family tree of a variety of people throughout history. It is a lovely designed and illustrated book for those of all ages. It is full of lots of little random and interesting facts. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
safiya's review against another edition
3.0
An incredibly interesting and beautifully illustrated book, continuing in the recent line of children’s books that will no doubt interest and engage both children and adults.
I’m relatively knowledgeable about certain parts of popular history, but even I found myself in surprise at some of the facts and connections revealed in the book. I think it would lend itself incredibly well to further resources for teaching and workshops for an exercise in mapping out family trees - nitjustin schools, but would make a fantastic community or local history project in museums.
My only criticisms are that the writing was a little small meaning that I was often straining my eyes to read along; I also felt that some of the trees could have been extended a little further into present day (eg. Bernice King and her current, prominent activist work within the African American community); finally, as still is often the case with historical books it is dissapointingly centered largely on white/European famous people and their families (and largely male) it would have been a fantastic opportunity to explore some more diverse people and their families.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
I’m relatively knowledgeable about certain parts of popular history, but even I found myself in surprise at some of the facts and connections revealed in the book. I think it would lend itself incredibly well to further resources for teaching and workshops for an exercise in mapping out family trees - nitjustin schools, but would make a fantastic community or local history project in museums.
My only criticisms are that the writing was a little small meaning that I was often straining my eyes to read along; I also felt that some of the trees could have been extended a little further into present day (eg. Bernice King and her current, prominent activist work within the African American community); finally, as still is often the case with historical books it is dissapointingly centered largely on white/European famous people and their families (and largely male) it would have been a fantastic opportunity to explore some more diverse people and their families.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
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