Family Angels
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Flowers, flowers everywhere! Why does Grandma have so many flowers wondered Sarah as she watched her grandmother put together bouquets of pretty flowers. Maybe she's going to a party thought Sarah as Grandma placed the flowers in a basket and carried them outside. "I love parties! Wait for me!" shouted Sarah as she dashed out the door after Grandma. They arrived after a short drive and Sarah was very disappointed. There was no party, no balloons, only cold gray stones that stood behind a big black fence. "Grandma, why are we here?" whispered Sarah as they got out of the car and started walking down a path. Grandma carried the basket of flowers and said they came to visit family angels. "Angels?” Sarah thought suspiciously. She remembered the scary cemetery stories she'd heard and stuck close to Grandma. Soon, Grandma stopped in front of a headstone. "Meet Margaret, your great grandmother, my mother. She became a family angel before you were born. She played the piano." "Just like me?" Sarah smiled. "Yes, just like you," Grandma replied as she placed a bouquet of flowers by the headstone. "Next to her is my father, Robert, your great grandfather." "I remember Grandpa Robert. He let me wear his Navy hat and taught me how to salute. We went to his house on 4th of July and ate home-made ice cream and watched fireworks," Sarah said as she laid down some flowers." "That's right, and now he's a family angel too.”
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Sarah's friends have told her scary stories about cemeteries and she wants nothing to do with them. In "Family Angels", Grandma shows her how they can be a great place to learn as she leads Sarah on a special adventure. As they stop to place flowers at each headstone, Sarah is told some ancestors traveled out west by covered wagons because there were no cars, some wrote letters because there were no phones and some even came across the ocean on a big ship. Sarah also learns she has many "Great" ancestors and everyone in her family "grows on trees". She can't wait to get to the next headstone so Grandma can tell her more. Based on a true story about the author's relatives, "Family Angels" will draw children in with the history lessons and family tree basics that Grandma conveys. Children will discover cemeteries are places that make history come alive when they are told fun stories about past generations. They will start asking questions so they can learn about their own family angels.
About the Author
As an avid genealogist, the author knows the value and reward of learning about past generations. She prepared many family history documents for the adults in her family and thought it would be fun to do something that would allow children to benefit from this kind of knowledge. She wanted them to develop an interest in their own roots, to learn about family trees and discover that cemeteries are places that can make history come alive. One day, she took three of her young grandchildren to the cemetery for an outing. They spread a blanket on the ground near the family plot and began putting together bouquets of flowers. As the children placed flowers at each headstone, she shared stories about that person's life. It was the first time the children had been in a cemetery and they left with fond memories of a fun day with their grandmother and with a little knowledge about ancestors they never knew. It was after that outing the author began to think of a way to share this family history adventure with other children so they too can learn about their relatives of long ago. "Family Angels" grew out of those thoughts. The author lives with her husband in Northern California and "Family Angels" is the first children's book she has written. She continues researching family history and assists friends and family when they need help with their genealogy projects.