In a blend of fiction and non-fiction, this book follows a family for 175 years over two continents.  Starting in Germany in the 1850s, the Peters family makes the difficult choice to emigrate to the United States.  The book describes the forces behind the decision to emigrate, the departure, the sea voyage, the Mississippi River, the wagon train, and establishing a farm with both historical information and fictionalized characters.  Skimming forward five generations, the story quickly reaches the present day when the interracial Peters family investigates their family’s past through pictures, family artifacts and online research.  This American family then travels full circle as they discover and explore their ancestral roots in Germany.  An engaging story, this book effectively communicates the magnitude of the historical journey to a farm in the central United States.  The establishment of farm, however, lacks the depth of detail and accuracy found in the description of the journey.  The encounter with Native Americans in the first year on the farm fails to recognize that the Peters were part of the influx that displaced the Native populations.  The hardship of establishing a homestead are also minimalized when the sod house of the first year is replaced within a year with a wooden house, barns, orchard and garden.

Originally published in German and translated by Susi Woofter.  All and all, good choice for young children to inspire them to investigate their family heritage and genealogy.