A NEW LOOK AT THE PILGRIMS: Why They Came to America

A question-and-answer examination of the Pilgrims pre-Plymouth Rock which pursues its inquiries under such chapter headings as ""What Kind of City Was Leyden?"" and ""Why Did They Need Two Ships?"" The answers, in turn, are couched in the kind of stock phrases and meaningless formulations that children should learn not to mistake for historical information. In England, most people work ""from morning to night,"" lead ""hard lives,"" can ""barely make ends meet."" In Amsterdam (undefined), ""religious quarrels"" among the dissenters create (unidentified) ""splits and factions."" But in America, they hear--""Fish were so plentiful along the coasts they were easily caught in nets"" (as most sea fish, plentiful or not, are commonly caught). The level of address ranges from sub-kindergarten (""their little Dutch friends"") to about fourth grade, the topics--class divisions, religious schisms--suit fifth-to-seventh graders. The list of suggested readings has its quixotic aspects too, but it includes several better choices that every library already has.