THE PILGRIMS OF PLIMOTH

This very immediate account of life at Plimoth, the wilderness colony established by the Pilgrims who came to this country in the Mayflower, should not only give a fine picture of early life in the Massachusetts colony but also interest young people in history. The book may be hard going for some, written as it is in an imitation of the prose style of the Pilgrims and using obscure terms (there is a glossary, but it has only the more arcane words). This should not deter anyone interested in this period. The story, told first from a general viewpoint and then from that of men, women, and ""children and youngfolk,"" is lively and varied, laced with interesting facts and details like a Bruegel painting. The outstanding illustrations, with flat areas of color, now glowing, now muted, evoke a busy community where everyone bustled together to produce and survive, but with the timeless, static feeling of Gauguin. The reconstructed Pilgrim Village was the model for the illustrations, and the narrative quotes are credited to the ""interpreters"" at the restoration. A short mention of the reconstruction and its location would perhaps have inspired a family trip after reading this book.