by William Clark & Meriwether Lewis & edited by Peter Roop & Connie Roop & illustrated by Tanner Tim ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1993
Excerpts from the Lewis and Clark journals—framed between a brief ``Prologue'' (on the purpose of the expedition), plus Jefferson's letter outlining guidelines for exploring the Territory, and an equally brief ``Epilogue'' (on the trip back and the ultimate fates of major participants)—that sufficiently suggest the hardships and heroism of the journey. But though this is authentic source material, it's merely a taste—the full journals run to eight volumes. Meanwhile, many episodes here are so truncated as to be enigmatic, while others tantalize by not reporting outcomes of events described. The Roops don't even, usually, indicate which explorer authored the brief entries. Tanner's realistic oils, on canvas mimicking a parchment ground, are attractive, but his endpaper map also needs more details. Since there are some telling incidents here, this will have some use as a supplement to secondary sources; but a more extensive sampling, with fuller explanation, would have been a good deal more valuable. (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-8027-8207-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1993
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by Peggy Thomas & illustrated by Layne Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2008
A pleasing new picture book looks at George Washington’s career through an agricultural lens. Sprinkling excerpts from his letters and diaries throughout to allow its subject to speak in his own voice, the narrative makes a convincing case for Washington’s place as the nation’s First Farmer. His innovations, in addition to applying the scientific method to compost, include a combination plow-tiller-harrow, the popularization of the mule and a two-level barn that put horses to work at threshing grain in any weather. Thomas integrates Washington’s military and political adventures into her account, making clear that it was his frustration as a farmer that caused him to join the revolutionary cause. Lane’s oil illustrations, while sometimes stiff, appropriately portray a man who was happiest when working the land. Backmatter includes a timeline, author’s notes on both Mount Vernon and Washington the slaveholder, resources for further exploration and a bibliography. (Picture book/biography. 8-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59078-460-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2008
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by Chris Newell ; illustrated by Winona Nelson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 2, 2021
Essential.
A measured corrective to pervasive myths about what is often referred to as the “first Thanksgiving.”
Contextualizing them within a Native perspective, Newell (Passamaquoddy) touches on the all-too-familiar elements of the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving and its origins and the history of English colonization in the territory now known as New England. In addition to the voyage and landfall of the Mayflower, readers learn about the Doctrine of Discovery that arrogated the lands of non-Christian peoples to European settlers; earlier encounters between the Indigenous peoples of the region and Europeans; and the Great Dying of 1616-1619, which emptied the village of Patuxet by 1620. Short, two- to six-page chapters alternate between the story of the English settlers and exploring the complex political makeup of the region and the culture, agriculture, and technology of the Wampanoag—all before covering the evolution of the holiday. Refreshingly, the lens Newell offers is a Native one, describing how the Wampanoag and other Native peoples received the English rather than the other way around. Key words ranging from estuary to discover are printed in boldface in the narrative and defined in a closing glossary. Nelson (a member of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa) contributes soft line-and-color illustrations of the proceedings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Essential. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-72637-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
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