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

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.

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 problemsWriting 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 genderLevel 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 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.

All the headlines are here. You just have to fill in the information as it happens. This then becomes a keepsake forever to be passed down.

My daughter gave this to her grandma and it was so well received. She absolutely loved it and it evoked lots of happy memories for them to talk about together. Lovely idea for a gift.

writing messages to my two grandsons that they can open on special occasions when ever they want to and can have forever about special memories for them, we recently lost my husband so it would have been good to get more stories of him and write them down but things happened quickly not enough time

It's a good gift for grandparents . The journal has been structured well capturing the important milestones of a person's life. Would definitely recommend it .

I bought this to leave for my grandson when I leave this planet. But whilst completing it there is a lot of American words in it, I am not American nor is my grandson if I had known this I wouldn’t have purchased it. So if you are American this is a lovely beautifully illustrated keepsake if like me you are British please keep looking.