Chicago History for Kids: Triumphs and Tragedies of the Windy City Includes 21 Activities
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
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS R HIS BOOK WOULD NOT have been possible without the cooperation and participation of many individuals and institutions Joan Sommers deserves my special thanks She was the first one to suggest that I write this book She also did an excellent job of designing the book and its cover and made great improvements to the art project in chapter 8 Linda Bechtle Clare Abbene and Douglas Knox read every page of the manuscript and made many insightful edits and suggestions Bill Hurd provided editorial guidance on several early chapters Several kids read portions of the book and pro vided valuable feedback My most dedicated kid edi tors were my son Patrick Hurd and his cousins Eamon Hurd and Mariel Ian and Julia Abbene If my niece Shannon were old enough to read I'm sure she would have made some valuable suggestions too The following individuals shared expert advice related to pre European human existence in Illinois and Chicago William Iseminger Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Linda Bechtle Midwest Institute for Native American Studies and Frances L Hage mann John Swenson reviewed and made helpful comments about the chapters on Chicago's early his tory and Jerry Crimmins lent his expertise on Fort Dearborn Marc Lipkin at Alligator Records coordinated my interview with Koko Taylor Thanks Koko for the great tips on the craft of writing a blues song Kenan Heise provided many of the wonderful photos that appear in this book The librarians archivists and photo reproduction
staff at the Newberry Library Chicago History Muse um and The Art Institute of Chicago were very coop erative and helpful Thanks also to Carina Carusi John Powell Heather Malec Trina Higgins Rob Medina Erin Tikovitsch Edward Maldonado Steve Nash and Jean Linsner Lisa Reardon was my capable and thorough project editor Thanks finally to my editor Cynthia Sherry who responded so enthusiastically to the sug gestion that we work together on this book and who patiently tolerated the anxieties of a first time author Finally and most importantly thank you to my wife Geralyn whose love and support made this work
