Samplers were part of a young girl's education from the colonial period through the 19th century. Taking a look at marking samplers and more decorative ones, the author discusses their importance and provides projects today's children can do to create things similar to the samplers. Most of these are done with paper or computer rather than with needle and thread, which I find a little sad! ( )

Bright, fresh, with truly doable projects. My favorite of the 'life in olden-times' books I've been reading lately. What I find amazing is that the biggest difference between the lives described here and the childhood of Laura Ingalls is not due to the century-plus between them, but due to the fact that she lived on the frontier and this was more focused on urban life. I especially enjoyed the charm of the illustrations - a little girl falls asleep over her sampler, friendly animals 'hold' the banners that display the instructions for each project, Adam in Eden wears a hat. A delight for all who interested in early history of the US and for beginning crafters. ( )