The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving (Graphic History)is another entry in the Graphic History Series. For those looking for Pilgrim resources this is a great companion to The Voyage of the Mayflower (Graphic History)which I reviewed previously.

Unlike previous books, this one focuses less on the history of colony. Its goal is to present information on community life. The author centers the book on how the colony survived to reach its first harvest feast. While the Mayflower book focused on using correct vocabulary, like Separatists, this author is more comfortable with the more familiar term Pilgrim. The author explains that they were Separatists, explains how the term Pilgrim emerged and settles on the term Pilgrim for the remainder of the book.

This book does provide more Native American history of the area than previous books on the topic, mentioning specific tribes by name. She also gives explanations as to why they were reluctant to have relations with the colonists.

While this book provides some solid background information about the colony, the residents, and the challenges they faced, my one disappointment is the author seemed to think her audience needed the information simplified and I have not seen evidence of that in previous editions of this series. I think other authors have done a marvelous job in this series with presenting challenging concepts without resorting to simplistic descriptions and explanations.

Despite my annoyance at some of her descriptions, I think this is a good resource to have available when studying the colony. The information on the Native American tribes is harder to find than it should be and this is one resource that gives students a starting point. Contrasting this author's style with others the children read can help them become more discerning readers of non-fiction resources.

The Pilgrims of Plimoth

The Pilgrims of Plimoth (Aladdin Picture Books)by Marcia Sewall is not a new addition to picture books available on the Pilgrims, but it is one to consider when studying the Pilgrims. The author uses paintings rather than drawings or photographs to illustrate the story. The story is written in the first person reflecting several points of view.

One of the important reasons to include this book in a study of the Pilgrims is that it includes information that many of the other books leave out. The book discusses the original destination of the Pilgrims, Virginia. It explains how they ended up in New England and ultimately how the colony came to be established in Plimoth. This story helps dispel the myth that the boat arrived and the Pilgrims all stepped off and established a colony. It describes how the Pilgrims lived on the ship and foraged for food. It takes the reader through the evolution of the colony as the Pilgrims tried to build some common structures before the bitter cold of winter hit and the loss of life during that first winter. The book explains to readers how the survivors emerged in the spring with the help of the Native Americans to begin planting crops and building structures.

I did not have a chance to acquire this book when I was purchasing Pilgrim books this year, but it will be on my list for next year.

Pilgrims of Plymouth

I am continuing to look for quality children's history books. I came across Pilgrims of Plymouth while searching for a different book at the library. I decided to reserve it to preview prior to purchasing.

This is a book produced by the National Geographic Society. As was done with Samuel Eaton's Day and Sarah Morton's Day the pictures for this book are taken at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This is great for children who have visited and those who live to far away to make the trip.

This book is different in that it is designed for younger readers. It does not focus on individual stories, but it is a general explanation of life at Plimoth for young readers. The vocabulary is fairly simple and approachable for even young children. The pictures make this a good resource for students to develop a picture of what life would have been like for children and adults living at this time. This book will be on my purchase list.

Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times

Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy In Pilgrim Timesis the third book in Kate Water's series on Plimoth Plantation. This title focuses on Tapenum, a Wampanoag boy frustrated because he has not beeen selected to train to become a pniese, a warrior counselor for the tribe. As the author tells his story, readers are introduced to what life was like for the Wampanoag tribe through pictures taken at the Habbamock's Homesite at Plimoth Plantation, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

This book can be read as a picture book, but also provides valuable information for older readers because of the photographs and attention to detail about life in the Wampanoag tribe. While many complain about the inaccuracies of tepees in books about the Pilgrims, the staff at Plimoth Plantation in accordance with the Wapanoag tribe have insured that Habbamock's Homesite is an accurate reflection of Native American life for visitors to learn more about the tribe.

Plimoth Plantation has wonderful resources for anyone who wants to learn more about the time period. Check out their Thanksgiving Interactive site. Find out more about the Wampanoag Homesite featured in this book here.

Samuel Eaton's Day

Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boyis the second of Kate Water's books I borrowed to review. While it is too late for this year's Thanksgiving purchases, I am always trying to find new books to put on the list. You never know what you might find at sales during the year before I place next year's order.

As with Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl the story uses the real life of a Pilgrim boy as interpreted at Plimoth Plantation to create a picture book for children.

Like Sarah, Samuel has also lost a parent, in his case his mother. He is approaching his first rye harvest with the hope that he can demonstrate his worthiness to be allowed more adult tasks and responsibilities. The two characters meet and greet each other in the book and the books share a similar format. Children are introduced to Samuel's clothing, his chores, and his family life. According to the author's notes, the child that portrayed Samuel in this book was not an interpreter at Plimoth Plantation, although his mother was at the time the book was written in the late 1980's.

I have to reserve the last two books in the series from the library to refresh my memory about them. However, the first two have convinced me to put them on my list of books to acquire.

Sarah Morton's Day A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl

I first came across Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl while on a field trip to Plimouth Plantation. The book uses one of the interpreters and the location shots for the illustrations of the story.

While not a new story, the original book was published in 1989, this book retains the ability to introduce children to life in Plimoth Plantation. For students who will be visiting on a field trip or those too far away to ever go, this series of books is a wonderful way to visit through the real life stories being retold by children working as interpreters at the historic site. This story focuses on the real life of Sarah Morton who lives with her Mother and Stepfather. The pictures are taken at Plimoth Plantation using a historical interpreter who works at the site to tell her story.

While the book is often marketed to younger audiences because it is a picture book, the pictures actually do make it valuable for upper elementary students as well. While the story is not complicated it provides valuable information about living conditions, the way children lived, and visual information from the recreations at Plimouth Plantation not always used in other resources for children about this period. One basic issue this book addresses is the stereotypes about the clothing the Pilgrims wore. Plimoth Plantation has done a great deal of work to dispel the myths of the Thanksgiving Pilgrims found on all our decorations. The colored photographs in this book that show children and adults in multi-colored costumes without a buckled hat among them can go even further to help children understand the difference between the myths and facts about the Pilgrims.