The author, a two-time Newbery prize winner, has captured the spirit of life in early America by making worthwhile use of diaries, letters, travelers' tales, etc. Her extensive research is evidenced by the careful details, selectivity, and clear organization. From rugged living in New England to luxuriant plantation life in Virginia, from the early Jamestown settlements to the beginning of the Revolution, the author presents the material with unusual enthusiasm. It is a finely designed as book, valuable for libraries or private collections, and will make excellent supplementary reading for beginning students of American history.
