Pilgrim Voices: Our First Year in the New World

Reveals the true account of the Pilgrim experience, from the hardship of their journey aboard the Mayflower, to the first encounter with local Indians, to the first Thanksgiving

Grade 4-6?This recounting of the Pilgrims' first 15 months in the New Land is based on the text of Mourt's Relation and William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation. Language has been modernized for contemporary readers. Retaining the primary sources' journal format, the Roops have chosen excerpts that show the major events of the time and give a sense of the struggles and details of day-to-day existence?finding food, building shelter, burying the dead. The narrative tone is understated. Some readers may find the selections featuring the settlers' relationship with the Indians to be overly positive. Interactions are shown to be generally cooperative and peaceful, especially those with Squanto and Samoset. Passages are included, however, that show the Pilgrims' desire to have "the savages" fear them. Overall, this slim volume is successful at creating a human sense of history beyond facts and timelines. Rich, multi-hued paintings have a folkart quality. Although somewhat static, they adequately illustrate the narrative. Marcia Sewall's The Pilgrims of Plimoth (Atheneum, 1986) and Gary Bowen's One Year at Plimoth Plantation 1626 (HarperCollins, 1994) are similar titles for a slightly younger audience.?Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4^-7. The Roops give a new twist to the familiar story of the Pilgrims' first voyage to North America and the original Thanksgiving celebration. Drawing on diaries and journals, they use the Pilgrims' own words to describe the voyage on the Mayflower; exploring the land and meeting the Indians; the hardships, illnesses, and hunger during the first winter; and the harvest festival. The diary format and first-person voice contribute authenticity and vitality to the text, with colorful paintings by Shelley Pritchett adding interest. Unfortunately, some of the expressions on the faces of the people in the illustrations seem out of keeping with the solemn tone of the text. In some instances, the Roops changed spelling and punctuation to increase clarity and switched from third to first person to maintain unity of voice. Historical background is provided in the foreword; a glossary, a bibliography, source information, and an additional reading list are appended. Karen Hutt