Sacajawea

February 1, 2002
Gr 1-3-A bare-bones introduction to the Shoshone guide. Milton focuses on her time spent helping Lewis and Clark, her marriage to Charbonneau, and the birth of her son, Pomp. Short sentences and pronunciation make the book accessible to emerging readers. Facts tend to be appropriately simple for the grade and reading levels. The large type is positioned on a white background and does not interfere with the full-color drawings. The illustrations lack pizzazz yet fit in well with the text. Several simple maps clue readers in to where the story is taking place. David Adler's A Picture Book of Sacagawea (Holiday, 2000) goes into more detail but the text is more difficult. Both titles would be useful, especially for Native American units.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2002
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Gr. 1-2. This title from the All Aboard Reading series gives a simple account of the life of Sacajawea. Milton concentrates mainly on the years of the Lewis and Clark expedition, but she also describes Sacajawea's early life as the captive of an enemy chief and reflects on the conflicting reports on how she died. (According to one report, she died of fever as a young woman, while another states that she returned to the Shoshones in old age.) Hehenberger uses warm colors and rounded shapes to create a series of attractive illustrations with a good variety of composition layout. Readers meeting Sacajawea for the first time will find her a brave and sympathetic figure, treated with dignity and respect in this appealing book for beginning readers. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2002
Although reduced to barely an outline, the well-known events in Sacagawea's life are described in simple language and sentences. Illustrations in warm tones on each page help early readers visualize the Northwest frontier setting.

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)