Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir

Teaching Ideas: This three generation lyrical memoir, beginning in the 1880s and ending around 1950, revolves aorund the childhood memories of three Black women: Patti Frances Ridley Jones, Lessie Blanche Jones Little and Eloise Glynn Little Greenfield. A preface for the book entitled "Landscape" tells how people are a part of their time, shaped by big and small things that happen in their worlds, such as war, and invention like radio or television, a birthday party or a kiss. Readers follow the family through three generations, with each woman recounting the memories that most strongly affected them. This book is a classroom mentor text for modeling drafting, revising and publishing the stories in children's lives. 'The Play' has been used to model the elements of story (plot, character, setting, movement through time, and a change that is central to the plot and the characters). 'Mama Sewing' models memoir." (A Field Guide to the Classroom Library - TCWP).