Renee Kreczmer

This is an enjoyable book designed for grade school students in the City of Chicago. But it very accessible for adults to discover a city they may not much about. The author is described as a third-grade teacher, but the book seems aimed more towards fourth or fifth graders (because of its intelligence), but that is minor. I never rmember rading a book about my locale that is half-way as interesting as this book. Having an interest in railroad history, I appreciated the frank description of the suburban worker town of Pullman, that had a major strike in 1894. The illustrations, mostly in color are almost beguiling -- you want to turn the page and see more of them. Because it casts Chicago in alternate light, it is a worthwhile addition to needs another Chicago book in their library, beyond the more ordinary travel guide book.… (meer)

This is such a good book! I wish there was a version for my community college students! Kreczmer's book address the CPS mandated unit for 3rd graders on Chicago history and she does a great job laying out 15 investigations for students to learn about an important facet of Chicago history. I love how the investigations encourage kids to figure out things for themselves and ask questions, rather than just telling them facts they have to memorize. At the end of each investigation there are also lists of places to visit in and around Chicago to show kids the real places they investigated, so there are lots of great field trip opportunities to choose from. I may still try to get my copy added to my college's library for our juvenile literature section because we have a strong education program and this would be a great resource for teachers-in-training. While it's written for third graders, this adult learned a lot about Chicago's history too. I'm sure this is a great resource for CPS teachers, but as someone who lives along the I&M canal, there are also a few great chapters on the construction of the canal and how it affected Chicago's growth that would be great for teachers in those communities as well.… (meer)