If You Lived 100 Years Ago

by Ann McGovern, Anna DiVito (Illustrator)

What a difference 100 years has made! Back at the turn of the century there were no televisions, airplanes, computers, plastics, movies with sound, or space travel; there were only about 8,000 automobiles in the whole country. Just turning on a light switch was a new experience.
In 58 tantalizing questions and answers, author Ann McGovern gives readers a fascinating look at life in New York City at the end of the 19th century-where the rich and poor lived, how they dressed, traveled, dined, and entertained themselves, what kind of work they did.
Readers may be surprised to learn that many children had to work for a living in horrendous conditions, that school were often inadequate and overcrowded (there could be 100 or more students in a single classroom), and that bicycling was the most popular sport in the country. (Baseball, cowling, tennis, football, boxing, golf, archery, and skating were also popular. Basketball and volleyball were new.)
Together, the text and art are filled with details that bring the era to life for young readers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, American History, School, Reference

80 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Ann McGovern Scheiner (née Weinberger) was an American writer of more than 55 children's books, selling over 30 million copies. She may be best known for her adaptation of Stone Soup, as well as Too Much Noise, historical and travel non-fiction, and biographies of figures like Harriet Tubman and Deborah Sampson Gannett and Eugenie Clark.

Reviews

[Abby Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for children to read to learn about how the people of our country lived in the past. Things were so much different than they were now, so it is definitely an eye opener for children. It is a little bit lengthy, but each section is very interesting to read. Each section has a question like; Who watched the kids? or Where did people shop? This is a good book for any age to learn about how our country has changed over the years.

[Lauren Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great book for children to read. Sometimes I don’t think children understand how much things have changed in a hundred years. New technologies have made the living situation much better. I like how they explained that sports were just being invented a hundred years ago and the rich and the poor traveled in very different ways.

[Applsd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read, a nice long picture book about life in 1900's New York. What I learned corresponds very nicely with the setting of the old public domain books I'm hooked on.
And don't get me started on the illustrations! <3
I'm a sucker for illustrations.

[Jodotha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good little overview for the younger set. Loved the illustrations. It did, at times, seem a bit biased in favor of pitying the poor and vilifying the wealthy (though under the conditions of the era, I can understand that inclination). I would have preferred the author vary her terminology for the upper class rather than refer to them as "rich people" throughout. However, if the goal is to show kids today how good they have it in comparison to late 19th century era NYC, this should do the trick. I liked how the author worked in a question and answer format, answering questions like "Were there bathrooms in tenements?" and "What did things cost in 1890?" It was very accessible.

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cool book that teaches a ton of fun facts about the past in a Q & A-style format that makes learning history fun, fun, fun! I started reading this book to my son, and after a while realized that I was engrossed in it and he wasn't even paying attention.

[Caroline Dougherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I could spend hours reading this book and digging deeper. It is so cute and I know students would love learning about the life styles of people from 100 years ago and that is what the book focuses on.

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book extremely interesting. People of all ages can learn something from this book. It would be an excellent book to use when teaching about all of the immigrants that traveled to America.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 years ago was my grandparents' generation, and some of the things in this book were a part of my own childhood. It's good to know life from not-so-long ago was passed down to me in family traditions and games, recipes, and life-style.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

v. nice book, lots of pictures and illos. new york at the turn of the century. compares living conditions, food, wages, sports, books etc.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The illustrations will help younger children enjoy the book and really fun and interesting facts are shared. This would be a great book to help children fall in love with history.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plan to read many more of these "if you" books with the kids.
Great illustrations, and the information is presented in a fun way.

[Kayla Skeans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was fun, where the book showed what you would have been doing if you were high class or lower class. It also showed that the lower class had less but were humble.

[Alistair Kessel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so good. Because it gave me nightmares.

[Allison]

I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org

[Annie Kostyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think this is the book that Donna is reading on West Wing for an entire show. Cute, but it's for kids.

[Sarah Kochert · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of my daughters loves this series of books. We read for school; tie in with history

[Cindy aka "The Book Fairy" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulously illustrated and written book:) Such a welcome addition to learn about history!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I let my 7-year-olds rate this book. I’m not sure I Qwould have been quite so generous, but they did quite enjoy it. I didn’t love the illustration style. Other books in the series have illustrations we like better. It is very informative, and covers a lot of aspects of life in the 1890s. I did have to edit “100 years ago” throughout the book to “120” or “130 years ago,” since the book has been around since the 1990s.

These aren’t really living history books as I would prefer them, but they are a good way to introduce history. Hopefully, when we start other history instruction, these books will provide a bit of foundation.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent book, but I wish the illustration is better than the current style.

[Dr. Julie Wasmund Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the historical information was interesting, but I couldn't get past the blatant racism and classism.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing presentation of history for children. Loved the illustrations as well.

[Rehan Abd Jamil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative..nice pictures also..

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my boys. Very informative and the boys liked the illustrations.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history book for children!