The Wind Wagon - Softcover

Lottridge, Celia Barker

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0888992343 ISBN 13: 9780888992345

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2001

Synopsis

Determined to reach the gold and silver mines in Colorado in 1860, Sam Peppard prepares to make an innovative vehicle that will get him there more quickly than a wagon and soon succeeds in doing so, despite the endless teasing by all those around him. Reprint.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4-In 1860, Sam Peppard, a blacksmith in northeast Kansas territory, invented a wagon powered by wind and set off with three friends for Denver. Their journey ended just 80 miles short of their destination when a whirlwind destroyed the wagon. This fictionalized account is crammed full of life, fun, and action. Text and pictures concentrate on the unusual invention and the main events. The black-and-white illustrations are reminiscent of old-time photographs, and the dialogue seems right for the time and place depicted. Both exhibit a subtle humor and real warmth. In two instances, a double-page illustration is placed mid-sentence, thus breaking the flow of the story, but this is a minor flaw. Incidental descriptions of geography and weather are vivid and add authenticity. A few details of the story are at odds with other sources, but the history isn't absolutely clear, and Sam's adventures are more than halfway to a tall tale anyway. Teachers may wish to compare this to Ennis Rees's wholly fictional Windwagon Smith (Prentice-Hall, 1966; o.p.) and to Glen Rounds's Mr. Yowder and the Windwagon (Holiday, 1983; o.p.). An extensive author's note explains clearly and simply the concept of historical fiction and offers a wealth of facts to supplement the tale. A welcome addition for beginning readers that will satisfy those ready to move beyond Barbara Brenner's Wagon Wheels (1978) and Nathaniel Benchley's "I Can Read History Books" (all HarperCollins).
Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KS
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Also set in Kansas, author Celia Barker Lottridge bases The Wind Wagon on the true story of Sam Peppard's dream to sail west across the windy prairies on his eye-catching invention in 1859. B&w illustrations by Daniel Clifford show wheels whizzing as the boat-like carriage passes horse-drawn wagons.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0888992343
• ISBN 13: 9780888992345
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Clifford Daniel