The Grandparent's Book of Shared Memories: Keepsake Album & Genealogy Instruction Book Hardcover – 13 November 2008

This book works well because both grandparents have an opportunity to contribute. I purchased two sets for each of our grandchildren, one for my husband and me and one for the parents of our son-in-law. We all plan to have a "workday" to complete the books sometime this coming year......

An excellent birthday present for my friend and now I need to order another one to take to my cousin overseas

I bought 3 grandparent books to compare and then order the one I liked best to give to my parents/parents-in-law so they can complete for my son. I like this one, but it's not appropriate for all situations. It's a square book. It has sections for Grandma and Grandpa which is fine if both are still living and still in their first marriage. I don't think it works as well for blended families, where a parent has remarried after divorce or death. It is organized by theme with 4 sections: (1)Gma and Gpa (2) Their kids (3)Their grandkids and (4)their ancestors. It has 2 pockets for extra photos/memories and seems to have lots of space to write. It also has places for photos within the pages. I like the ancestor section. I will keep it and hope to use it for my grandchildren many years in the future. However I am getting Memories For My Grandchild for my parents and hope for holiday delivery.

While more attactively laid out than similar products, the prompt questions in this book are quite broad and thus not particularly useful. Unless the respondent is a practiced writer, sweeping questions such as "what are your memories of life as a toddler and schoolgirl?" will likely lead to sweeping answers rather than detailed reminiscences. Frankly, I don't think most grandparents would get much pleasure from completing this book. It's a bit like a poorly constructed homework assignment. The upshot is that it covers both parents if that's what you need.I ordered two different types of these journals for my parents to fill out for my child. The other journal (For My Grandchild: A Grandmother's Gift of Memory) provides prompts that are far more specific with follow-up questions that are sure to get specific, clear responses. I'll be ordering the Grandfather's version of the same book.

I like the way the book has compartments to place photos. I like the size 8x11 . The titles and sub titles help you to write about memories or stories that don't come to mind "out of the blue".