Chicago History for Kids: Triumphs and Tragedies of the Windy City Includes 21 Activities
To Patrick and Geralyn For making me the luckiest man in the history of Chicago To Mom and Dad For raising five pretty good kids To Mei Mei We can't wait to meet you
FOREWORD BY CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM PRESIDENT GARY T JOHNSON HICAGO HISTORY FOR KIDS is an exciting ride through one of the most colorful stories of any place in the world the city of Chica go Once upon a time are four of the most exciting words in the English language especially if they are followed by a long long time ago This book begins a very long time ago when the land that became Chicago was shaped by volcanoes oceans and glaci erS This is not the usual kind of history It ranges across conventional boundaries so that ecology is part of the story The Native Americans who lived in what became Chicago are not pre history but are his tory Kids of course won't notice how unusual this approach is They just want to know what happened and the livelier the better They will love this book What makes this book special is the learning activi ties Too often the usual list of activities associated with history is short mapmaking and dioramas and very little else Here many activities are more typical of science fairs than history fairs build a miniature glacier re create the Chicago River watershed make a pinhole camera The author also uses the arts cre ate your own Impressionist painting make a stained glass window write a poem about your street There is even a recipe for homemade caramel corn Kids will get their hands dirty with these
and they will have lots of fun but all these activities have a point They are offered in context and con nected with a specific point in the story The narrative itself is quite a ride It includes politi cians and musicians gangsters and athletes The author's interpretation draws on a wide range of pri mary and secondary sources to re create life in differ ent periods of Chicago history and there always is an eye to adding something special Sidebars include topics such as a walking tour of Graceland Cemetery and an explanation of why we say cooler near the lake The Great Migration from the South is here as well as immigration from other countries The ups and downs of Chicago sports are told stories of pride and frustration When the near past comes into view readers of course will have their own opinions The events surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention are an example To my mind the best part of it all is the way that Owen Hurd reminds us of a Chicago that sometimes we can hardly imagine When the city was still country But has that place vanished entirely Of course not The lake is still here The river is still here The soil is still here and so is the weather And the city is still here in a place that first made sense because it was convenient for fur traders and canoes but now makes sense for international travel As with the best children's books this book isn’t only for children This is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers with activities at home and around town If they read the story and the sidebars adults will enrich their understanding of their
