Thousands of years ago, before systems of writing existed, every civilization passed on knowledge through storytelling. This is called the oral tradition. Some tales were fiction, but some were true history. Today, historians recognize that history books often lack some crucial details about important events, details that can be properly captured through the accounts of people who were actually there. This book, which supports elementary social studies curricula, focuses on oral histories, including what they are, why they're essential to the historical record, and how readers can record them for themselves.