Recommended Picture Book: The Granddaughter Necklace by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Title: The Granddaughter Necklace

Author: Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, January 1, 2013

Topics: Family history, Heirlooms, Families - Mothers & Daughters

Age: 4-8

Opening: Once there was a girl named Frances, who took a boat across the sea. Her mother gave her a glittering necklace that would belong to me someday.

Summary: A mother shares with her daughter stories of the generations of women in their family as each individual has passed along the tales and a glittering necklace to her own daughter.

Resources:
Heirlooms and family stories: Do you have an heirloom in your family? What is the story behind it?
Family Tree. Draw a family tree or visit this site for fun family tree building activities.
Make a pendant or heirloom together as a family if you don't have one already. Make sure to leave an account of why the pendant is special.

What I liked about the book:
Simple. Elegant. Poetic. Sharon, the narrator of the story, tells how a special heirloom, a beautiful necklace made out of crystal beads, was passed down through the women in her family on special occasions. She begins with how her mother got the necklace then moves back in her family history to her grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, all the way back five generations of women who wore the necklace. Then she tells how she got the necklace and how she will give the necklace to her own daughter. This is a heart-warming tale of love, family and gifts, passed down from one generation to another. I was moved by the author's note at the end of the story of how she came to learn about her Irish and African ancestry.