Kindergarten-Grade 3?Van Leeuwen bases her story on real people and events and imagines how a young boy would think and react under the circumstances. She offers his first-person account of the harrowing journey he and his family endure on the Mayflower. They are among those who are looking to find a place where, as the boy's father explains, "we can worship God in our own way." The storms and suffering of the nine-week voyage bring the travelers to shore, and to the hardships of a bitter-cold winter. But the spring brings promise of harvest, friendly contact with Indians, and hope for making "a home in this new land." Soft charcoal pencil and pastels applied to textured paper create the misty illustrations. Framed by beige pages, they provide a sense of distance and time with soft lines and pale colors. A note at the end attests to the author's research and historical accuracy. A fine read-aloud for Thanksgiving, Across the Wide Dark Sea can be used with Barbara Cohen's Molly's Pilgrim (Lothrop, 1983) to bring the theme of religious freedom in the founding of America to the present day.?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 6^-9. Presenting the story from the point of view of a nine-year-old boy, this picture book tells of sailing to the New World and building a settlement. Though based on first-hand accounts of the Mayflower voyage, the names Mayflower and Plymouth are never mentioned, and, for once, the story does not end with an account of the first Thanksgiving. Readers familiar with the 1620 expedition will recognize elements of the story: the hope for a new life with religious freedom, the difficult journey across the sea, the harsh winter of cold, disease, and deaths, and the help of friendly Indians who teach the settlers where to fish and how to plant Indian corn. As Van Leeuwen notes, America's history is full of families who gave up everything they had in another country for the hope of a better life here, and the stories continue today. Thus, she gives no names to the people whose tale she tells, letting them stand for all immigrants and lending their story a universality unusual in books about the Mayflower pilgrims. Beautifully composed pictures in pastels, charcoal, and colored pencils on textured paper illustrate places and events in an understated yet effective way. Their soft-focus, impressionistic look complements the author's purpose in telling a particular story that reflects the broader immigrant experience. Carolyn Phelan

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