SACAGAWEA

This first book in the Native American Biographies series covers the engrossing story of Sacagawea, the young Shoshone woman who was only 16 when she accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition to the Pacific coast on the first organized exploration of the American West. Carrying her new baby on her back, Sacagawea traveled 6,000 miles on foot, horseback, and canoe, along with her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, who had been hired as interpreter. Although Charbonneau was paid for his services, and Sacagawea was not, it was she who made important contributions to the expedition. She shared food that she foraged, advice, and knowledge of the land; in their journals, Lewis and Clark considered her ``calm, courageous, and uncomplaining.'' White makes clear that no one is certain of Sacagawea's fate: Some sources claim that she died at age 25, while Shoshone oral tradition holds that she left her husband, returned to her people with her son, and lived to a ripe old age. Either way, readers will enjoy this intriguing story, told in this well-written book that is not shy about honoring her accomplishments. (b&w photos and reproductions, not seen, chronology, notes, glossary, further reading, index) (Biography. 11+)