51963

The images in this book remind me of an old Disney movie. There are a few sections where there are no if very little pictures but the pages with images are very descriptive. I like that this story actually begins with why the pilgrims left England. While it doesn't give a ton of detail here it does explain the main reason they left, I have found that this is often left out of many pilgrim stories. It also mentions the death, sickness, and hardships that many pilgrims faced when first arriving the new world. It also included the roles of boys and girls in the new world which I think can help the students empathize with the situation a little more. ( )

974.4

In my opinion, “N.C. Wyeth’s Pilgrims” is an exceptional informational book for older children. It is engaging, organized, and accurate. It tells the true story of how the Mayflower ship set sail from Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, to go to America. The adventurers (Pilgrims) did not know that there were other people already living there called Indians (Native Americans). The book is very appealing because of its writing, characters, and illustrations. The writing is very organized and displays large, spaced text. The beautifully painted illustrations attract children to keep reading about the historical adventure. The illustrations depict the Pilgrim’s journey to America and the relationship that forms between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. The characters are believable and well-developed. The book describes specific people from this historical period in time. For example, Myles Standish is accurately depicted as a “professional soldier hired as the commander of the Separatists militia.” He is mentioned throughout the book, and he is portrayed as the Captain of the Pilgrims. John Carver (Governor), Squanto (Indian), and Samoset (Indian) are also mentioned and described. The big idea is to teach children about the real story of how the Pilgrims came to America. The big idea is also to teach students that the Native Americans and Pilgrims lived in peace for many years. This was “until the growth of the colonies created tension between the two groups.” ( )

This nonfiction picture book is beautifully illustrated by N.C. Wyeth who created the paintings for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. in the 1940s. Because these paintings were originally for a client, the paintings are dreamy and romantic. The text accompanying the illustrations is simple and straightforward. It does not need to have a glossary of terms because the target audience appears to be lower elementary. The tone of the book gives a very rosy-colored view of the Plymouth settlement and glosses over the hardships the settlers faced and the conflicts with the local Native Americans. Although the book claims to be "carefully researched," the author only mentions using William Bradford's account of the settlement of Plymouth and research conducted while visiting the historical site. He does add facts at the back of the book to clarify some of the inaccuracies depicted in the paintings. For example, "the Pilgrims did not wear somber clothing all the time, the furnishings were from a later date, etc." but this information could be easily overlooked by a reader. The writing style is not inviting for independent readers because it reads too much like a text book. I felt like I was reading an assigned report on the Plymouth colony. (The book could be used to show students how artists can manipulate their subjects in order to present a certain view - cheerful and uplifting. To be fair, Wyeth's clients could have requested specific details in his paintings.) ( )