About the book:
The introduction includes: “History is not always about famous rulers and military leaders. Where you live; the language(s) you speak; the foods you eat; and much more are also dependent upon decisions made by your ancestors.
Sophie, as anthropomorphized by a little bear, is introduced to her ancestral heritage by her grandmother. Sophie’s grandparents and great grandparents came to the United States from German colonies established in South Russia.
Young readers and listeners of similar heritage will appreciate learning about this sweep of history during the 19th and 20th centuries."
Sophie’s Grandma is dedicated to Margaret Ann (Zimmerman) Freeman, who was co-founder of the Glückstal Colonies Research Association (GCRA) and its guiding light, conceiving and promoting many publications. Margaret was the heart and soul of GCRA. As a retired elementary teacher, she wanted a book which she could use to share her heritage to her grandchildren. Sophie’s Grandma was written to fulfill this request. Fortunately, she was able to read the draft of this story before her untimely death in 2009.
About the author:
Barbara (Geiger) Horn was born in Bismarck, ND. Her mother’s family (Voegele and Pietz) came from the Glückstal Colonies, South Russia. Her father’s family (Geiger and Schaffer), came from the colonies of Speier and Landau, Beresan District, in the Odessa region. Barbara grew up in Iowa and southern California, and is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, with a degree in microbiology. As a charter member of GCRA, Barbara worked closely on many projects with its founder, Margaret Ann (Zimmerman) Freeman. Barbara was a member of the 1996 Journey to the Homeland Tour to visit her ancestral German villages near Odessa, Ukraine.
About the artist:
Born and raised in Walla Walla Valley in southeastern Washington State, Heidi Spring is of German descent on her mother side and Swiss descent on her father’s side. During her childhood and as an adult, she spent many months in Germany and Switzerland. She has a BFA from Illinois Wesleyan University, a MFA from the University of Brighton, United Kingdom, and a MA in Art Psychotherapy from Roehampton University in London. Heidi is working in a variety of freelance jobs including art teaching and art production in the Los Angeles area. Examples of her artwork may be seen at: www.heidispringart.com.
Comments about the book:
My husband and I recently read this children’s book and ordered two more so each family with our grandchildren could have a copy. My husband’s grandparents came from Russia in 1910 with two of their four children. My father-in-law was the youngest, born after they settled in Walworth County, South Dakota. The book tells many of the things I’ve heard over the years. We want our grandchildren to get a taste of their heritage. Loved the story!
--- Sally Rosin, Bryant, South Dakota
“My youngest son, who is age six, shared that the illustrations caught his eye; but it was the portions of the book focused on travel – down the river, what was in the trunk that people would have carried – which was what he wanted to talk about when it was over. He’s six, so he might be on the older edge of being into the anthropomorphic animal portion, but the story itself is good and appeals to a variety of ages.
My older 9-year-old son who read the book, wanted to talk about geography – how does the story fit together as far as the places their great grandparents would have been.
On the whole, the book has broad appeal on a variety of topics. I hope the parents and grandparents of Germans from Russia heritage consider it for the young people in their lives – it really opens the door to a lot of conversations.”
--- Robert Russell, Director, North State University Library, Aberdeen, South Dakota
Braden and Brooklyn, age 9 (4th grade), West Fargo, ND, shared what they learned from the book after reading the story to Reuben and Verda (Job) Tschritter, West Fargo, ND, natives of Linton, ND:
Braden writes:
"I learned that the familys were at the top of the boat and the singles were at the bottom of the boat. The ship ride to America was really scary. People died on the way to America and some got sick and some had a baby on the boat. Some people died on the way to Russia and got sick."
Brooklyn writes:
"They traveled to America on a big ship. On the ship the people that came in familys got to sit at the top. The people that came alone had to sit on the bottom of the big ship. They traveled by train to Hamburg. They had to cross the Atlantic Ocean. When they got to Russia there was nothing there. When they were off the ship they were in New York. And they settled in North Dakota."
