SARAH MORTON'S DAY: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl

Sarah, a child of nine in 1627--the year chosen for replication at Plimoth Plantation--is portrayed by Amelia Poole, a ten-year-old who spends three days a week in the summer plus weekends year-round ""interpreting"" Sarah and her life to 20th-century visitors. In crisp color photos, Kendall details her day: dressing (garters and two woolen ""petticoats""), chores like milking and pounding spices, games, a bit of learning. Using an easily comprehended approximation of 17th-century speech, Sarah tells about her activities in a simple, artless style. Poignantly, she misses the father who died in 1621 and is still apprehensive about her ""new father,"" who married Mother a few months ago: ""I am learning to call him father and am trying hard to earn his love."" As in other photo replications of historical settings, everything here is a bit too clean and perfect; still, an appealing, authentic look at New England's first English settlement. Good notes on Plimoth Plantation, the real Sarah, and the real Amelia; glossary.