Home Life in Grandma's Day. . - children's reviews - book review

Home Life in Grandma's Day
by Valerie Weber and Geneva Lewis
Carolrhoda Books, Inc., November 1999
$9.00, ISBN 1-575-05329-2, Ages 4 to 8

Southern living, southern hospitality, soul food and segregation are just a few reminders of a different time in African-American history. They call to mind home life from a bygone era--the days of Grandma, or "Big Mama," as black matriarchs were sometimes called by friends and family.

In Home Life, Geneva Lewis and coauthor Valerie Weber take a stroll down memory lane, describing the Deep South during a period from the 1930s and 40s. Their recollections bring back objects and witticisms once familiar, but now nearly forgotten. With chapters entitled "Iceboxes and Tin Tubs," "Homemade Clothes," and "My Sunday Best," the quaint illustrations, photos and old advertisements along with memorabilia and family pictures provide a vivid description of life in the rural South. In many ways, Home Life is a historical account of growing up in a small town in Louisiana, as seen through Lewis's eyes.

Besides its nostalgic value, Home Life is a great resource for children to use in interviewing their grandparents, learning black history or developing a better understanding of their own cultural heritage. It's also a good way for children to chart scientific and social progress. The easy-to-follow format, along with the table of contents, glossary and index, encourage further reading.

While the book's presentation is somewhat unusual, Home Life in Grandma's Day helps children learn where we have been, and how far we have come.

--Chandra L. Tyson an education coordinator in Florida.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Cox, Matthews & Associates
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group