{"id":8969,"date":"2014-11-04T15:46:45","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T20:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/?p=8969"},"modified":"2021-08-15T16:16:29","modified_gmt":"2021-08-15T20:16:29","slug":"family-stories-and-memoirs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/family-stories-and-memoirs\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Stories and Memoirs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>November is National Family Stories Month \u2013 and with the weather getting cold, it\u2019s a perfect time for curling up in front of the woodstove and telling stories. Though, of course, any time of year is good for family stories &#8211; on the porch, at the dinner table, around the campfire &#8211; and the more the better. See below for some of the many ways in which other people have told theirs.<\/p>\n<p>What about playing family story-telling games, making your own family memory book, creating a family name quilt, or keeping a cartoon diary?<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e9a2e44d8c1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e9a2e44d8c1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/family-stories-and-memoirs\/#TRUE_FAMILY_STORIES\" >TRUE FAMILY STORIES<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/family-stories-and-memoirs\/2\/#FICTIONAL_FAMILY_STORIES\" >FICTIONAL FAMILY STORIES<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/family-stories-and-memoirs\/2\/#TELLING_YOUR_STORY\" >TELLING YOUR STORY<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/family-stories-and-memoirs\/3\/#MEMORY_JOURNALS\" >MEMORY JOURNALS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/family-stories-and-memoirs\/3\/#FAMILY_STORY_GAMES\" >FAMILY STORY GAMES<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TRUE_FAMILY_STORIES\"><\/span><b>TRUE FAMILY STORIES<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11903 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/young-in-the-mts-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/young-in-the-mts-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/young-in-the-mts-797x1024.jpg 797w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/young-in-the-mts-768x986.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/young-in-the-mts-1196x1536.jpg 1196w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/young-in-the-mts-1595x2048.jpg 1595w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/young-in-the-mts.jpg 1947w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Cynthia Rylant\u2019s <i>When I Was Young in the Mountains<\/i> (Puffin, 1993), a Caldecott Honor Book, is an evocative first-person account of a West Virginia childhood that begins \u201cWhen I was young in the mountains, Grandfather came home in the evening covered with the black dust of a coal mine.\u201d For ages 5-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11864 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-way-to-america-300x241.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-way-to-america-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-way-to-america-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-way-to-america-768x617.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-way-to-america-1536x1234.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-way-to-america-2048x1645.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Dan Yaccarino\u2019s <i>All the Way to America<\/i> (Dragonfly, 2014) \u2013 subtitled \u201cThe Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel\u201d &#8211; traces his family history from Sorrento, Italy, where his great-grandfather, Michele, was given a little shovel by his father so that he could help tend the family garden plot. When, as a young man, Michele leaves for America, he takes the little shovel with him, along with some family photographs and his mother\u2019s recipe for tomato sauce. Eventually, the little shovel is passed down through generations. (The author picture on the back flap shows Yaccarino holding it.) For ages 5-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>For more resources, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/immigrants-and-refugees\/\">Immigrants and Refugees<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11889 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/seven-brave-women-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/seven-brave-women-216x300.jpg 216w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/seven-brave-women.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Betsy Hearne\u2019s picture book <i>Seven Brave Women<\/i> (Greenwillow Books, 2006) traces her family history through seven generations, beginning with great-great-great-grandmother Elizabeth, who came to America from Switzerland in a wooden boat, and great-great-grandmother Eliza, who traveled west to Ohio in a covered wagon. For ages 5-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11901 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/xmas-mem-capote-241x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"241\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/xmas-mem-capote-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/xmas-mem-capote.jpg 411w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Truman Capote\u2019s <i>A Christmas Memory<\/i> (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006) is a wonderful account of Capote\u2019s (as \u201cBuddy\u201d) childhood in rural Alabama in the 1930s and his friendship with his eccentric Aunt Sook. Aunt Sook is also featured in <i>The Thanksgiving Visitor<\/i>, in which she invites Buddy\u2019s nemesis, the school bully Odd Henderson, to Thanksgiving dinner. For ages 6 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11877 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/little-house-191x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/little-house-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/little-house-651x1024.jpg 651w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/little-house.jpg 654w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>The nine-book Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, beginning with <i>Little House in the Big Woods<\/i> (HarperCollins, 2004), collectively tells the story of the life of Laura and her family as pioneers in the mid-19<sup>th<\/sup> century. Filled with details, adventures, and Pa&#8217;s fiddle music. For ages 7 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>From the <em>New Yorker<\/em>, Judith Thurman\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2009\/08\/10\/wilder-women\">Wilder Women<\/a> is an interesting account of Laura Ingalls Wilder, her daughter Rose, and their now-classic books.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11891 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/strong-and-good-245x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"245\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/strong-and-good-245x300.jpg 245w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/strong-and-good.jpg 408w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 245px) 100vw, 245px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Robert Lawson\u2019s <i>They Were Strong and Good<\/i> (Viking Juvenile Books, 2006) traces his family\u2019s journey through American history, beginning with his grandparents: \u201cMy mother\u2019s father was a Scotch sea captain. He sailed the brig <i>Eliza Jane Hopper<\/i> from New York to the islands of the Caribbean \u2013 to Puerto Rico and Cuba and the Isthmus of Panama.\u201d For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11894 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-tarantula-in-my-purse-original-imaf6gz5scammabd-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-tarantula-in-my-purse-original-imaf6gz5scammabd-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-tarantula-in-my-purse-original-imaf6gz5scammabd-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-tarantula-in-my-purse-original-imaf6gz5scammabd-768x1154.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-tarantula-in-my-purse-original-imaf6gz5scammabd-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/the-tarantula-in-my-purse-original-imaf6gz5scammabd.jpg 1107w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Jean Craighead George\u2019s <i>The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets<\/i> (HarperCollins, 1997) is the story of George\u2019s family life with orphaned wild animals, among them Yammer, an owl who liked to watch Road Runner cartoons, and Duck and Goose, who were arrested for disturbing the peace. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11887 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family-204x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family-696x1024.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family-768x1129.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family-1045x1536.jpg 1045w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family-1393x2048.jpg 1393w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/owls-in-family.jpg 1556w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Farley Mowat\u2019s <i>Owls in the Family<\/i> (Yearling, 1996) is the story of his childhood on the Canadian prairie, along with his obstreperous and endearing pet owls, Wol and Weeps. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11870 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/homesick_720x@2x-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/homesick_720x@2x-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/homesick_720x@2x-661x1024.jpg 661w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/homesick_720x@2x-768x1190.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/homesick_720x@2x-991x1536.jpg 991w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/homesick_720x@2x-1321x2048.jpg 1321w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/homesick_720x@2x.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Jean Fritz\u2019s <i>Homesick, My Own Story<\/i> (Puffin, 1999) is the fascinating story of Fritz\u2019s childhood in China in the 1920s. For ages 8 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\">\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11868 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cheaper-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cheaper-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cheaper-680x1024.jpg 680w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cheaper-768x1156.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cheaper-1021x1536.jpg 1021w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cheaper-1361x2048.jpg 1361w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cheaper.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><i>Cheaper by the Dozen<\/i> by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (HarperCollins, 2005) is both a wonderful collection of family stories and a great family read-aloud. Originally published in the 1940s, this is the story of the Gilbreth family as told by two of the kids. The Gilbreth parents were early efficiency experts, who combined research with a boisterous family of twelve redheads. (Learn about Dad\u2019s disastrous birdbath, the perils of automobiles, home-style tonsillectomies, and how to take a bath in under a minute.) For ages 9 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11899 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/when-i-was-yr-age-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/when-i-was-yr-age-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/when-i-was-yr-age.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><i>When I Was Your Age<\/i>, edited by Amy Ehrlich, (Candlewick Press, 2012) is a collection of childhood reminiscences by ten well-known children\u2019s book authors, among them Mary Pope Osborne, Katherine Paterson, Avi, James Howe, and Susan Cooper. (If you and your kids like that, there\u2019s a sequel: <i>When I Was Your Age, Volume 2<\/i>.) For ages 9-14.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11866 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/boy-large-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/boy-large-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/boy-large.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Roald Dahl\u2019s <i>Boy <\/i>(Puffin, 2009), illustrated with photos and drawings by Quentin Blake, is Dahl\u2019s account of his boyhood, including the wicked tale of the Great Mouse Plot of 1924. (It involves a dead mouse and candy.) For ages 9-14.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11902 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/xmas-story-shepherd-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/xmas-story-shepherd-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/xmas-story-shepherd.jpg 287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Jean Shepherd\u2019s <i>A Christmas Story<\/i> (Broadway, 2003) is the hilarious tale of Shepherd\u2019s Indiana boyhood, featuring a secret decoder ring (that proves to advertise Ovaltine), a scandalous leg lamp (wearing a fishnet stocking), the tobacco-chewing Bumpuses next door with their swarm of hideous hounds, and young Ralphie\u2019s hope for a Red Ryder B-B gun for Christmas. For ages 10 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>The 1983 film version of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0085334\/\">A Christmas Story<\/a> \u2013 which is funny and terrific \u2013 is rated PG.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11874 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-in-yoyo-207x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-in-yoyo-207x300.jpg 207w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-in-yoyo-705x1024.jpg 705w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-in-yoyo-768x1116.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-in-yoyo.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Jerry Spinelli\u2019s <i>Knots in My Yo-Yo String<\/i> (Ember, 1998) is the story of Spinelli\u2019s youth in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in the 1950s. For ages 10-13.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11879 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/looking-back-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/looking-back-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/looking-back-684x1024.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/looking-back-768x1150.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/looking-back.jpg 872w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Lois Lowry\u2019s <i>Looking Back: A Book of Memories<\/i> (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2000) is a marvelous collection of autobiographical stories accompanied by black-and-white photos, each showing how Lowry used her personal life experiences in her many novels. (Each chapter opens with a novel excerpt.) For ages 11 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11880 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/maus-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/maus-215x300.jpg 215w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/maus.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Art Spiegelman\u2019s powerful graphic novels <i>Maus<\/i> (Pantheon, 1986) and <i>Maus<\/i> II tell the story of his parents\u2019 experiences in Nazi-occupied Poland and post-war life in the United States. For ages 13 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11865 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anne-frank-183x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anne-frank-183x300.jpg 183w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anne-frank-626x1024.jpg 626w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anne-frank.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 183px) 100vw, 183px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Anne Frank\u2019s <i>The Diary of a Young Girl<\/i> (Bantam, 1993) is a world classic. The diary begins when Anne was 13, just before she and her family go into hiding in the \u201csecret annex\u201d in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. For ages 13 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>See the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.annefrank.org\/en\/\">Anne Frank<\/a> website for period photos of Anne\u2019s Amsterdam, a tour of the secret annex, information on the diary, and more.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>For more resources, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/the-holocaust\/\">The Holocaust<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11997 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/joyce-maynard-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/joyce-maynard-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/joyce-maynard.jpg 328w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Joyce Maynard\u2019s <i>Looking Back<\/i> (Open Road, 2012), a memoir written when Maynard was 18, is \u201cA Chronicle of Growing Up Old in the Sixties.\u201d For ages 13 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11872 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-205x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"205\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-205x300.jpg 205w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-700x1024.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-768x1123.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-1051x1536.jpg 1051w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-1401x2048.jpg 1401w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings.jpg 1710w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Maya Angelou\u2019s <i>I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings<\/i> (Ballantine, 2009) is the wonderful, painful, and uplifting story of the poet\u2019s youth, her struggles to overcome bigotry and deal with physical and emotional hardship, and her ultimate discovery of her own strength and her love for the written word. For teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11867 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/catholic-girlhood-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/catholic-girlhood-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/catholic-girlhood-672x1024.jpg 672w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/catholic-girlhood-768x1170.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/catholic-girlhood.jpg 893w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Mary McCarthy\u2019s <i>Memories of a Catholic Girlhood<\/i> (Mariner Books, 1972) is a superb collection of autobiographical pieces beginning after the author\u2019s parents died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. For older teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11884 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nabokov-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nabokov-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nabokov-664x1024.jpg 664w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nabokov-768x1185.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nabokov-996x1536.jpg 996w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nabokov-1328x2048.jpg 1328w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nabokov.jpg 1556w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Vladimir Nabokov\u2019s <i>Speak, Memory<\/i> (Vintage, 1989) is a stunning autobiography, dealing primarily with Nabokov\u2019s life in Russia before coming to the United States. For teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>Not fond of memoirs? See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/01\/30\/books\/review\/Genzlinger-t.html?pagewanted=all\">The Problem With Memoirs<\/a> from the <i>New York Times<\/i>. It begins &#8221; A moment of silence, please, for the lost art of shutting up.&#8221;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h4><b>FICTIONAL FAMILY STORIES<\/b><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11898 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/when-I-was-little-300x265.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/when-I-was-little-300x265.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/when-I-was-little.jpg 733w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Jamie Lee Curtis\u2019s <i>When I Was Little<\/i> (HarperCollins, 1995) is a four-year-old\u2019s picture-book memoir of her youth. (\u201cWhen I was little, I had two teeth. Now I have lots, and I know how to brush them.\u201d) For ages 3-6.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11869 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Every-Year-on-Your-Birthday-295x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Every-Year-on-Your-Birthday-295x300.jpg 295w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Every-Year-on-Your-Birthday-1006x1024.jpg 1006w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Every-Year-on-Your-Birthday-768x782.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Every-Year-on-Your-Birthday.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 295px) 100vw, 295px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Rose A. Lewis\u2019s <i>Every Year on Your Birthday<\/i> (Little, Brown, 2007), a mother tells her adopted Chinese daughter the story of her life, year by year, beginning with her birth in China. (\u201cI wasn\u2019t there, but I was thinking about you as I waited at home to be your new mother.\u201d) For ages 3-6.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11897 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/what-you-know-first-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"291\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/what-you-know-first-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/what-you-know-first.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 291px) 100vw, 291px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Patricia MacLachlan\u2019s beautiful <i>What You Know First<\/i> (HarperCollins, 1998) is the poetic story of a little girl whose family has sold their farm on the prairie, a place the narrator loves and doesn\u2019t want to leave. As she comes to terms with moving, she collects mementos \u2013 a bag of prairie earth, a piece of a cottonwood tree \u2013 so that she can tell her new brother or sister where they came from. \u201cWhat you know first stays with you, my Papa says.\u201d Illustrated with engravings. For ages 4 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11873 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/keeping-quilt-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/keeping-quilt-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/keeping-quilt.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>In Patricia Polacco\u2019s <i>The Keeping Quilt<\/i> (Simon &amp; Schuster, 2001), Anna\u2019s mother makes a quilt to help the family remember their home in Russia. Passed down from mother to daughter through generations, the quilt serves as a wedding canopy, a Sabbath tablecloth, and a blanket for a new baby \u2013 but all the while tying the family together. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11875 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-on-a-counting-rope_0-300x248.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-on-a-counting-rope_0-300x248.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-on-a-counting-rope_0-768x634.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/knots-on-a-counting-rope_0.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In <i>Knots on a Counting Rope<\/i> (Square Fish, 1997) by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault, a Navajo boy listens as his grandfather tells him his life story: about the stormy night when he was born, how he got his name, and how he has bravely learned to live with his blindness. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>For more resources, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/native-americans\/\">Native Americans.<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11900 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/wilfrid-gordeon-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/wilfrid-gordeon-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/wilfrid-gordeon-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/wilfrid-gordeon.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Mem Fox\u2019s <i>Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge<\/i> (Kane Miller, 1969), young Wilfrid lives next door to a retirement home, where his best friend \u2013 96-year-old Miss Nancy \u2013 is losing her memory. Wilfrid sets out to help her get it back \u2013 but first he has to find out what memories are. Everyone has a different definition. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>Listen to <i>Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge<\/i> read aloud <a href=\"http:\/\/www.storylineonline.net\/wilfrid-gordon-mcdonald-partridge\/\">here<\/a> (by Bradley Whitford). Included at the site is a downloadable activity guide.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11881 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/memory-string-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/memory-string-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/memory-string-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/memory-string.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Eve Bunting\u2019s <i>The Memory String<\/i> (Clarion, 2000), Laura \u2013 who is having trouble adjusting to Jane, her new stepmother \u2013 comforts herself by telling the stories associated with each of the buttons on her \u201cmemory string:\u201d there\u2019s a button from her great-grandmother\u2019s first grown-up dress, one from her mother\u2019s wedding gown, another from her father\u2019s army uniform. When the string breaks, Jane helps Laura put it together again and the two form a bond. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11885 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/name-quilt-300x285.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/name-quilt-300x285.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/name-quilt.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Phyllis Root\u2019s <i>The Name Quilt<\/i> (Farrar, Straus &amp; Giroux, 2003), Sadie spends summers with her Grandma, who tucks her in every night with the name quilt. The quilt has the names of generations of ancestors embroidered on it, and there\u2019s a story that goes with every one. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11895 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/watch-the-stars-222x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/watch-the-stars-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/watch-the-stars.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Riki Levinson\u2019s <i>Watch the Stars Come Out<\/i> (Puffin, 1995) is the story of two children\u2019s journey across the ocean to America, their landing at Ellis Island, and their reunion with their parents \u2013 all told as a family tale, the story a grandmother tells her little granddaughter about her own mother\u2019s experiences. Illustrated with lovely paintings. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11871 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/hundred-penny-box-207x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/hundred-penny-box-207x300.jpg 207w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/hundred-penny-box-705x1024.jpg 705w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/hundred-penny-box-768x1116.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/hundred-penny-box.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>In Sharon Bell Mathis\u2019s <i>The Hundred Penny Box<\/i> (Puffin, 2006), Michael\u2019s great-great-aunt Dew cherishes a box of pennies, one for each of her one hundred years, each with a story of its own. For ages 6-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11878 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/long-way-from-chicago-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/long-way-from-chicago-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/long-way-from-chicago-665x1024.jpg 665w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/long-way-from-chicago-768x1183.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/long-way-from-chicago-997x1536.jpg 997w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/long-way-from-chicago-1330x2048.jpg 1330w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/long-way-from-chicago.jpg 1557w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Richard Peck\u2019s <i>A Long Way From Chicago<\/i> (Puffin, 2004), Joey and his sister Mary Alice have been sent from Chicago to stay with their intimidating Grandma Dowdel, a larger-than-life woman with a heart of pure gold. The episodes in the book begin in 1929, the first year of the Great Depression, and end in 1942, when Joey heads off to war. A wonderful family story. Sequels are <i>A Year Down Yonder<\/i>, featuring Mary Alice, and <i>A Season of Gifts<\/i>. For ages 9 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4><b>TELLING YOUR STORY<\/b><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11893 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/telling-your-own-stories.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/telling-your-own-stories.jpg 260w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/telling-your-own-stories-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Donald Davis\u2019s <i>Telling Your Own Stories<\/i> (August House, 2005) \u2013 written by a master storyteller &#8211; is a 128-page collection of prompts, tips, and suggestions for storytellers to use either by themselves with a notebook and pencil or in conversational groups. For ages 12 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11896 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/weiting-yr-life-borg-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/weiting-yr-life-borg-224x300.jpg 224w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/weiting-yr-life-borg.jpg 373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Mary Borg\u2019s <i>Writing Your Life<\/i> (Prufrock Press, 2013) is a guide to writing your autobiography, packed with questions to explore, story starters, and writing tips. For teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11886 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/old-friend-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/old-friend-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/old-friend.jpg 659w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Natalie Goldberg&#8217;s <em>Old Friend From Far Away<\/em> (Free Press, 2008) is an excellent and unconventional guide to memoir-writing, with many suggestions, exercises, story starters, and more. For teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11904 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Zinsser-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Zinsser-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Zinsser.jpg 332w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>William Zinsser&#8217;s <em>Writing About Your Life<\/em> (Da Capo Press, 2004) is a guide to memoir-writing from the author of the classic <em>On Writing Well<\/em>. From teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11890 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/storycorps.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/storycorps.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/storycorps-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>The nonprofit oral history project <a href=\"http:\/\/storycorps.org\/\">StoryCorps<\/a>, founded in 2003, has collected personal stories from over 90,000 participants. (Their motto: \u201cEvery voice matters.\u201d)Visit the site to listen to stories or participate by recording personal stories of your own.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.storyarts.org\/classroom\/roots\/family.html\">Collecting Family Stories<\/a> has a long list of suggestions and sample interview questions. Interview your relatives!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h4><b>MEMORY JOURNALS<\/b><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11882 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-book-about-me-by-me-myself-original-imafygzg4mnksrgp-219x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"219\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-book-about-me-by-me-myself-original-imafygzg4mnksrgp-219x300.jpg 219w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-book-about-me-by-me-myself-original-imafygzg4mnksrgp-748x1024.jpg 748w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-book-about-me-by-me-myself-original-imafygzg4mnksrgp-768x1052.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-book-about-me-by-me-myself-original-imafygzg4mnksrgp-1122x1536.jpg 1122w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-book-about-me-by-me-myself-original-imafygzg4mnksrgp.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Dr. Seuss\u2019s <i>My Book About Me<\/i> (Random House, 1969) is an interactive journal in which kids fill in information \u201call about me\u201d \u2013 weight and height, number of teeth, hair and eye color, favorite foods and clothes, pets and family members, and more. A fun project for ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11883 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-life-creativity-scrpbk-206x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"206\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-life-creativity-scrpbk-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-life-creativity-scrpbk-702x1024.jpg 702w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-life-creativity-scrpbk-768x1120.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/my-life-creativity-scrpbk.jpg 1029w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 206px) 100vw, 206px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>From Creativity for Kids, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Creativity-For-Kids-Life-Scrapbook\/dp\/B0001MB7UO\">It\u2019s My Life Scrapbook Kit<\/a> includes a spiral-bound scrapbook, fancy paper, stickers, picture frames, and tools for story-recording kids ages 7 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11863 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-about-me-kranz-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-about-me-kranz-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/all-about-me-kranz.jpg 425w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Linda Kranz\u2019s <i>All About Me: A Keepsake Journal for Kids<\/i> (Rising Moon, 2004) is an illustrated notebook with prompts that encourage kids to write about themselves: \u201cEverybody has a favorite place. What is yours?\u201d \u201cIf someone gave you a million dollars, what would you do with it?\u201d For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wholefamily.com\/parent-center\/fun-for-kids-of-all-ages\/the-treasure-chest-art-and-play-projects-to-enrich-your-creating-a-family-memory-book\">The Treasure Chest: Creating a Family Memory Book<\/a> has instructions for making a memory book in a decorated three-ring binder. Included is a list of questions aimed at getting the whole family involved.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>From Scholastic, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scholastic.com\/teachers\/lesson-plan\/brown-paper-bag-family-memories\">Brown Paper Bag Family Memories<\/a> is a project for early-elementary-level kids in which they collect objects that represent a family memory in a brown paper lunch bag and write short stories about each.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4><b>FAMILY STORY GAMES<\/b><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11876 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifestories-game-300x205.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifestories-game-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifestories-game.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>LifeStories (Talicor) is a family-friendly personal storytelling game in which participants hop playing pieces around a bright-colored board while answering questions in four categories: Etchings, Memories, Valuables, and Alternatives. Samples include \u201cTell about an incident that had something to do with water,\u201d \u201cTell about something that made you feel proud,\u201d \u201cWhat is one of the most unusual meals you ever ate?,\u201d \u201cHow did your parents meet?,\u201d and \u201cWhat do you want to be when you grow up?\u201d For 2-8 players ages 6 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11892 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/tabletopics-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/tabletopics-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/tabletopics-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/tabletopics.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s?k=ttable+topics&amp;i=toys-and-games&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss\">TableTopics<\/a> are boxes of cards designed to start great conversations. Available in several editions. From the Family Infomania edition, questions include &#8220;What&#8217;s your best family vacation memory?&#8221; and &#8220;If you had to change your name, what would you choose?&#8221;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-19412\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/f3e89d61f49e774c70929014cb854560-288x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"288\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/f3e89d61f49e774c70929014cb854560-288x300.jpg 288w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/f3e89d61f49e774c70929014cb854560.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 288px) 100vw, 288px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sixwordmemoirs.com\/six-store\/6-word-memoirs-family-card-game\/\">Six-Word Memoirs<\/a> from University Games, players tell the stories of their lives by responding to topic cards in just six words. It&#8217;s based on the book <em>Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure<\/em> (Harper Perennial, 2008). For ages 12 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>In our family, a lot of personal storytelling began with a board game called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Reminiscing-Game-People-Over-Thirty\/dp\/B000O7VNI2\">Reminiscing<\/a> (subtitled \u201cThe Game for People Over Thirty\u201d) that I\u2019d been given it for a birthday. A good deal of the game involved decade-by-decade trivia questions, which didn\u2019t go down well with our kids, all of whom were well under thirty and couldn\u2019t remember Woodstock, <i>I Love Lucy<\/i>, or <i>Gilligan\u2019s Island<\/i>. However, a subset of the game involved a challenge to tell a story from your past having to do with\u2026followed by a long list of memory-triggering suggestions: a pet, a storm, a party, a costume, a camping trip, a dream, a Christmas, a bicycle, a car, a book, a grandparent, a cousin. Finally, we gave up on the board game altogether, wrote the personal story suggestions on index cards, one to a card, and stashed them in a cardboard box known from then on as the Storytelling Box. We took turns picking cards and telling stories. It\u2019s a pastime that never fails, and the stories \u2013 try it and you\u2019ll see \u2013 are wonderful.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>November is National Family Stories Month \u2013 and with the weather getting cold, it\u2019s a perfect time for curling up in front of the woodstove&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[779,780],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-literature","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8969"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19413,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8969\/revisions\/19413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}