Don't Know Much About the Pilgrims - Hardcover

Davis, Kenneth C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060286091 ISBN 13: 9780060286095

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2002

Synopsis

• How much fun was life aboard the Mayflower?
• Did Pilgrims dance with Indians to Plymouth Rock?
• If there was no football to watch on TV, what did people do during the first Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving today is a time for families to say grace and gobble turkey. But why did the Pilgrims start this tradition? And who were these people anyway?

Now you can discover a wealth of cool and astonishing facts about the Pilgrims. Did you know that they made the long ocean journey in a cramped boat, or that the friendly Indians helped the Pilgrims survive that first winter? Would you have liked being a child in Plymouth? You wouldn't have gone to school, but just read about the chores you would have done!

Kenneth C. Davis delivers another outstanding picture book in the Don't Know Much About series. With his trademark question-and-answer format and S. D. Schindler's detailed artwork, you'll get an insider's view of the Pilgrims' life. It wasn't easy, but they helped make America what it is today. Now that is something to give thanks for!

About this title

About the Author

Kenneth C. Davis is the bestselling author of America's Hidden History and Don't Know Much About^® History, which spent thirty-five consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has sold nearly 1.6 million copies, and gave rise to his phenomenal Don't Know Much About^® series for adults and children. He lives in New York City and Dorset, Vermont.

Reviews

Grade 2-4-Handsomely packaged and laced with more than a dash of irreverent cheek, this title will entice browsers who will probably learn a little along the way. Davis organizes the haphazard collection of factoids chronologically and covers the same material found in any of a number of other books on the period. Sidebars on nearly every page highlight related material, while colorful cartoon illustrations add visual appeal. Cutaway drawings show the interior of a typical Pilgrim house and of the Mayflower. Unfortunately, the simplification and the somewhat frivolous tone create some problems. The Puritans' disagreement with the Church of England dealt with issues far more serious than "fancy ceremonies and decorations." Stating that the king "said the Pilgrims had to shape up or ship out" is also misleading in that Separatist leaders were routinely imprisoned, not exiled. The brief paragraphs dealing with their time in Holland imply that they were unhappy there largely because "they had to work harder than they had worked in England." Paul Erickson's Daily Life in the Pilgrim Colony 1636 (Clarion, 2001) is a more informative source for reports. Connie and Peter Roop's Pilgrim Voices (Walker, 1997) is another good choice. Ann McGovern's -If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 (Scholastic, 1991) takes a lighthearted approach to the Pilgrims but presents the facts more precisely, and has a great cutaway diagram of the Mayflower that gives a real sense of just how crowded things were during the voyage. Davis's casual looks at history are popular, but librarians will want to consider how many of them their budgets can bear.
Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library, MA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-5. From the Don't Know Much About series, this colorfully illustrated volume takes a refreshingly candid look at the pilgrims. Forgoing the usual solemn tone, reverence for forefathers, and claims about the "first Thanksgiving," Davis breathes life into the subject with an evenhanded approach to both the Indians and the newcomers and through his attention to details that will interest children. The question-and-answer format follows a logical arrangement and sets up a conversational voice that sounds informal, yet is informative. Throughout the book, Schindler's precise and lively ink drawings, brightened with color washes, put a very human (and often amusing) face on the past. One of the series' best. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060286091
• ISBN 13: 9780060286095
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Schindler S. D.
• Number of pages: 48