Lincoln Children’s Books ISBN: 9781786 032973 £12.99
What a clever idea – take 25 famous people and draw their family tree. Each one is accompanied by a page highlighting the achievements of that individual. The illustrations and use of colour bring the pages to life but, unfortunately, for me, it doesn’t really work.
There is an interesting combination of familiar – Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela – and unfamiliar – Desiree Clary, Ada Lovelace, Maria Tallchief – people; of people from all ages and continents; and all walks of life. So as a library reference book this could be a useful, although difficult, book to use.
Despite the large format, many of the family trees are so complicated that it is difficult to follow. And, if I’m honest, in many cases knowing their family tree, whilst in itself interesting, doesn’t really help us to understand what made these people tick and why they are significant. The language too is often difficult for KS2 pupils. This book, despite the ‘folksy’ illustrations, is more likely to appeal to adults than children.
Alf Wilkinson