Memories for My Grandchild: A Keepsake to Remember (Grandparent's Memory Book)

I bought these after many searches for the perfect memory book. I purchases this for each one of my parents (my mother, father, and mother-in-law) since I recently had their first grandchild. This made the perfect gift for each of them and they are excited about all the different types of questions in the book. I had originally just bought one that I thought they could each add to, but based on reading the questions, I think this is directed towards one person filling out each blank in the book. It is nice, because, my parents have been married for 35 years and with each of them filling out their own, I will get different perspectives of each memory as well. The book is separated by category and has a nice little table of contents at the beginning. Each section is devoted to a different phase throughout their lives. The book even has a small little family tree to fill out at the beginning of the book. When I was reading reviews to purchase I noticed many people who had LOVED this item and their reviews told me about the different categories. I did read that this book was not really designed for someone who is divorced. I think that it could still work for a grandparent who has been separated. I know that sometimes those memories are rough, but I think they are important memories for a grandchild to have. I had originally found a book that is specifically for a grandmother and had to return it because it just was not what I wanted. The difference between the other one and this item is the types of questions. This one goes in to specifics. I love it and will cherish them forever when my parents are no longer with us. The book is sturdy material, the pages are a good thickness and will not wear easily. The binding is a spiral binder which is nice and keeps the pages flat. There is even an elastic band to keep the book held closed. All in all, the book is just perfect. Thank you for reading my review. Please let me know if you found this helpful.

An absolutely beautiful way to introduce your grandchild to your own special history as a person and a grandparent! I especially like the nice variety of "guided questions and prompts" since I don't do very well with extemporaneous writing. After all, a lifetime is a long period of time to try to condense into a memory book! The questions are easily adjustable to fit your own particular family history and circumstances, and there are a couple of pages at the end of each section to include extra comments and photos or notes. The book is approximately 9 x 7 inches, and is hard-cover with a spiral binding. I use different colored ink in each section just to keep my granddaughter's attention as she reads! (Besides, it's fun for me to write that way!) I make an extra effort to only write in the book when I'm in a good mood - I think your mood can show up in your writing and really influence how you say something without your even thinking about it. When I first got this memory book, I thought I'd rush right through and be done by her BD - uh, no! Never having filled out one before, I didn't realize the time, concentration and thought it would take just to do a small section. (So, *maybe* by Christmas, lol.) I think and hope this is something she'll treasure not only now (while she can still ask questions about anything) but also when she's telling her own grandchildren about her life and family history! If you have grandchildren, I really urge you to purchase a memory book for each of your grandchildren so you can gift them with something only you can provide! And be sure to check out this particular memory book - I think you'll find it to be one of the very best on the market today.

Of the five memory books I purchased this holiday season, Memories for My Grandchild is my favorite. It has a hardcover with spiral binding. It measures about 8 inches by 10 inches. Has a really explanatory table of contents. The book begins with a family tree and continues on throughout the lifetime. The questions are thought-provoking and there are appropriate amounts of lines on which to answer. There are little birds and twigs on some pages giving each a playful, kind feeling. Some questions throughout the book are: What was your favorite home-cooked food? How did your parents discipline you if you did something wrong? As a child/teenager/adult, what were your favorite books, magazines, movies, stars, etc? Any special holiday or vacation recollections? Marriage questions including info about the bridal party, groomsmen, first home, etc. Section on religion. A section for the present: age now? who are your best friends? Describe any collections you have. Your theme song. Fave things now: actors, writers, web sites, etc. Current way to communicate (phone, email etc). Ends with a section on Grandparenthood and describing the births of grandchildren, pet names for them, similarities, etc. The end of each section includes page or two to post photos, memorabilia, etc. There is a pocket at the end of the book where you can store photos, old letters etc. It's not large enough to hold more than a few pictures and maybe a letter or two. The book has a stretchy band to pull over the front cover which holds it closed. The other memory books I bought were: Grandma, Tell me your memories, A Father's Legacy, Share your stories Grandpa, and A Grandparent's Legacy. I highly recommend Memories for My Grandchild, a Keepsake to Remember. It's a fitting, journal-sized book, has a variety of questions and provides ample room for sharing memories and posting photos.

I literally spent hours reading reviews on all of the grandparent journaling books. I ended up purchasing Memories for my grandchild by Annie Decker, and Memories for my Grandchild: A keepsake to remember. I will review both. In memories for my grandchild a keepsake to remember there is a great layout with plenty of in depth and personal questions for your grandparent to fill out! I plan on giving a journal as gifts to my grandparents this Christmas since I am now pregnant and want to be able to share their history with my baby. It is also a gift for me as I am very interested in family history especially the more personal stories :) I love the spiral binding and the spots for photos at the end of each chapter. The bird design was also very cute. The family tree at the beginning was also a big seller for me. However I ended up choosing the other book over this one for very minute differences. 1. I liked the text in the other book better. It looked more adult to me, and although this book is for my child I want it to be something they will appreciate their entire lives. Also I'm very picky about little details. 2. The family tree in the other book went back farther. 3. This book does have a pocket for extra items and pictures, but it is more like a folder flap than a closable pouch and I'm worried things would fall out of it. 4. This book has a title at the beginning of each section (childhood years, teen years etc.) but not on each page. Overall this was still a great memory book, but I chose the other just due to personal preferences. I would still highly recommend this product! I will try to update with what the grandparents think once they receive them!

We purchased 8 different books for each grandparent this year for Christmas in an attempt to find a match in style and generation for each one. (We have great-grandparents in the mix.) As I was reading through the books I tried to keep in mind different family structures for example a divorce/remarriage as well as stylistic preferences. Here is what I found... The Book Itself: -Hardcover with a hidden spiral - wonderful, it lays flat while writing -There is an elastic wraparound closure that I like, it keeps the book closed and I have no worries about loosing anything added to the book, or the pages begin damaged accidentally (The only other book we found with this same closure was Grandparents Journal by Ryland Peters) -There is a sticker on the back that removed without any damage to the cover -Pages are a medium weight with a matte finish, allowing use of any type of pen -Font appears to be 12 pt. and sanserif, it is easy to read although a little small if you have eye sight problems Writing Style/Creativity Level: -At the end of each section there is a page labeled for "Photos, Memories, Memorabilia, Musings" as well as three more at the end. I like this layout, it is not too photo heavy and allows the option not to put photos if the writer already has them organized another way or doesn't have any pertaining to that section. It also makes a nice space for additional stories that come up while filling out the section. (No writing lines on these pages though) -The format is answer a question style with a small paragraph or a few sentences depending on the question. None of the spaces are too large so as be overwhelming and I feel that the space given was proportionate to the answer that this sought. -I liked the writing style it was light and enjoyable to read but still deep enough I felt I would truly get to know the grandparent responding. Who this book is for: Both grandparents to fill out? No, only one author for this journey (Grandparents Journal is the only one we found that both parties could fill out in the same book) Divorced/Remarried: Yes, this is one of the best for that situation. The whole book focuses on getting to know that grandparent specifically. Same Sex Couples: Yes, all of the questions refer to "spouse" rather than an assigned gender Level of Religiousness: Somewhat low, there is a section on religion and spirituality, however it is fairly open and I believe would work for many different belief systems. An example question would be, "What were your parents' spiritual or religious beliefs & affiliations when you were young? Did they change?" I have to say that this is actually my favorite grandparent book of the eight we purchased. I love the layout, tone & quality of the questions, cover, spine & closure as well as the art. I have to say though, I just cannot see this art for my grandfather, it is not that it is specifically feminine. The inner art is all the same style and similar colors to the cover and the theme throughout is birds. None of these things speak specifically to a women's tastes in fact my late grandfather loved birds especially blue birds, but I still could not see myself giving this to him.

I knew I wanted to purchase two journal/keepsake type books for each of my grandmothers. I looked at a couple in the store that I didn't like much because they had room for pictures on almost every page and not as much room for questions and answers - which is what I really wanted. I also read tons of reviews for many of the other books (many of them mentioned in other review comments). I finally decided to order a copy of this one, even though I wasn't 100% if it would fit what I wanted it. After I received it, I immediately ordered a second one so both grandmothers could have one. What I like about it: - It is hardcover over a spiral binding (best of both worlds, to me!) - It has an elastic strap on the outside to hold it shut (just a nice touch) - It is divided into a handful of "chapter" sections based on stages of life (childhood, school years, etc.) - It has just a couple pages for basic geneology, which is nice to have for the record but not what I wanted the book to focus on - There are several questions on each page with a good amount of lines to fill in each answer - I liked the questions. There were a lot of them. They were a good balance of specific-answers and open-ended. They asked about facts but also got personal. They covered most all of the important and interesting areas of life, asking about preferences and experiences and also personal responses (e.g. asking about length of marriage but also to reflect on what made the marriage last that long). - I felt that a completed or even partially completed copy of this book would give me a very thorough insight and memorial into my grandmothers without being too shallow nor probing too deep for a written record. I would give more examples of questions and what made me like this book, but I was so excited about it that I gave it to them right away and both of them live far away. But even though this was the only one I ordered and only one of a few that I actually flipped through, I have no regrets and am absolutely satisfied with it. *One of my grandmothers can no longer write but the questions serve well as verbal prompts that others could then write down.

Beautiful gift for grandmas and makes a perfect gift for any holiday.

This book is great. How would you feel if you found a book like this, written by an ancestor? We tend to think of a journal for our children or grandchildren because as they say, we are truly gone once those who knew us are gone. Maybe not. Anyone who’s lived a long life needs prompts to recall the stories. The little things we forget or take for granted may be the most interesting to a young generation. This book is like having someone interview the grandparent. Gentle questions about things we wouldn’t think to tell our helpful. Another thing I want to say to those who commented that this is geared for only one grandparent. So that I say hooray. Doesn’t each person deserve to have their own book? Most couples didn’t even meet until they were adults and most of their life forming moments had happened. Their lives would be very different generally and cramming two completely different life stories into a paragraph is a disservice to the grandparents to those of us who want to read it. I say give each grandparent the respect of their own book.