Westward Ho!: The Story of the Pioneers (Landmark Books) - Softcover

Penner, Lucille Recht

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0375821996 ISBN 13: 9780375821998

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2002

Synopsis

The Story of the Pioneers

Lewis and Clark. Daniel Boone. Davy Crockett. These are all famous American pioneers. But not all pioneers became famous. Many were just ordinary people with extraordinary courage and a sense of adventure. They set out on foot, on horseback, or in wagon trains, bringing only what they could
carry. They encountered rushing rivers, tall mountains, and wild animals. But somehow, the brave pioneers pushed on to build the American West.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"Many brief anecdotes and summaries of first-person accounts. The plentiful illustrations lend an inviting air to the large pages." - School Library Journal

"Lively and accessible, [Liberty!] makes history fun." - School Library Journal

"A marvelous book that shouldn't be missed, this book is one to return to for many years to follow." - The Daily Item

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?This book offers some useful and interesting information, but suffers from lack of detail and structure. The 18 double-page chapters, all heavily illustrated, cover pioneers in the United States from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s. Some chapters start with present-tense descriptions of typical wagon train events, such as a birth, then shift, sometimes abruptly, to straight descriptive information. Chapters featuring notable individuals are interspersed between more general ones, adding to the jumbled effect. The only map is on the frontispiece and lacks date and mountain range identification. The roughly chronological arrangement moves from early Appalachian pioneers to later west coast expansion, but incidents and anecdotes often interrupt the sequence. Davy Crockett appears before Lewis and Clark, and the lawmen and criminals from the 1870s are mentioned (without dates) before the California Gold Rush. Other dates are also missing. The author does a decent job of capturing the adventurous pioneer spirit, but, with the exception of the Gold Rush, generally passes over the various reasons why families chose to endure the hardships of a westward move. Though sod homes and log cabins are described, the focus is on the journeys of pioneers; the establishment of new communities and towns is not mentioned. Despite the awkward arrangement, the writing is solid, with many brief anecdotes and summaries of first-person accounts. The plentiful illustrations lend an inviting air to the large pages, though they are unspectacular. A flawed but serviceable addition.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0375821996
• ISBN 13: 9780375821998
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Barnard Bryn