Customer Reviews

The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe

5 star:		(11)
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I thouroughly enjoyed The Captain's Dog and felt the voice of Seaman gave the novel an added flair. Many times I was so lost in the story, I forgot Seaman was a dog. I especially like this novel because it lays a strong foundation for further research into the adventures of Lewis and Clark. Readers get to meet and know so many interesting characters. The characterization of Captain Lewis is so complete I felt as if he was an old friend. I laughed and cried when reading this novel. It has heart, adventure, and a little bit of mystery. The descriptive details give evidence to the extensive research which must have gone into writing this novel. Bravo, Roland Smith! How about a new historical novel about merchant seaman or pirates. Perhaps Seaman could come along as well.

The Captain's Dog is a good choice for a young reader who likes dogs and adventure. And it is also great for a subtle education about early western history. The story is told from the dog's perspective. Although fictional in nature, the history is accurate, the story could actually have happened, and it is believable. The point of view of the story may be somewhat difficult for a young person under 12 years old to follow because it comes from three perspectives. Each chapter opens with two men who went with the Lewis & Clark expedition reminiscing about the journey. They read from one of Lewis' diaries. Then Seaman, the dog, starts remembering and thinking of his adventures on the trip which takes up most of the chapter. Not being able to follow the change in narrator does not take anything away from the story, however. The chapters are short, the story moves along pretty well, and the reading appears to be at about a 4th to 6th grade level. The Captain's Dog is a perfect gift for the child or young boy or girl who likes to read, appreciates animals, and has a hankering for adventure and fun. I think it would be popular for Jr. High School students also.

What an enjoyable way to learn about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, from the perspective of a dog! The Captains Dog is Seaman, a Newfoundland dog that belonged to Captain Meriwether Lewis. Seaman accompanied him and Captain William Clark and their Corps of Discovery on the search for the overland water route to the Pacific in the early 1800s. Here, Roland Smith's historical fiction is thoroughly researched and credible. Through Seaman, we meet many fascinating characters, experience the journeys hazards, and get an ingenious feel for what life in the Corps was like from the inside. Readers will enjoy the typical doglike behavior displayed by Seaman, such as marking his territory and sniffing out animals and humans from miles away. He is curious and courageous, as all fine explorers should be. Each chapter is told from three perspectives, using people who knew or accompanied Lewis and Clark speaking in third person, then reading excerpts from Lewis personal diary, followed by Seaman recalling his adventures and observations in first person. The changes in viewpoint and lack of illustrations might make this book difficult for younger readers. I would recommend it for fifth grade reading level and up, especially as a great introduction or supplement for students studying the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Seaman was given the opportunity to go with Lewis and Clark on their adventure to find the North-West Passage. I mean, who would give up the chance to go with some of the most fascinating people in our history? Oh, did I forget to mention that Seaman was a dog traded to Captain Meriweather Lewis? Together, they take an exciting journey to find new things never seen before, people they have never met, and dangers they will never think of facing.
Seaman is a big black dog, which is often mistaken by many of the Native Americans they meet as a big black grizzly bear. He is very brave, always trying to do something heroic. He saves the expedition many times. Even once he almost died from a beaver attacking him while trying to save half of the men. He also comes face to face with grizzly bears and wolves many times. Those were two of the biggest threats to Seaman besides starvation. Out of that big characteristic, there was one more that stood out, loyalty. When someone wanted to go for a walk, Seaman would always go with them. He never gave up on anyone, especially when Captain Lewis had some emotional breakdowns.
I think, The Captain's Dog, by Roland Smith seemed like a roller coaster of our history. It had its ups and downs. You always expect something exciting, but by the end of the chapter you'll have experienced, by reading this book something greater than you've imagined. You can really learn a lot in this story from all the true facts in this book. If you like reading those diary type books, then you'll love reading this! It is just like reading a diary from your own dog. This book reminded me of my friend's dog, and how he would think of these adventures if he could read. I highly recommend this book for ages twelve and up because young children will find it to difficult to understand. Those who are older...GO AND READ IT!

I read this book to my niece and nephew (they were 8 and 10 respectively) a couple of years ago and I can't wait to read it to my own kids when they get old enough. Being from South Dakota, I know of a lot of the places this book took us which is important but the book was also filled with a lot of emotion...it had us laughing, crying and cheering! Not too many books do that these days. Rock on, Roland Smith! And just for the record, my niece and nephew and I still talk about this book to this day. Parents, read to your kids!

Roland Smith is the best author ever!! He has written many great books, like Sasquatch, Jaguar, and Thunder Cave which was named an NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book. The Captain's Dog is about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and in the beginning Captain Lewis buys Seaman the dog and takes Seaman with him on the Expedition.The book is set all around the U.S., on rivers, and in the mountains across the United States to the Pacific. Lewis and Clark encountered many different kinds of animals that they've never seen before. Some were friendly and some were not so friendly, in fact dangerous. One day Seaman was on a ramble when he ran into a pack of wolves. Seaman was stronger than the leader of the pack, but the whole pack could take him down, Seaman ran! After a while two wolves dropped back, but the leader was still in hot pursuit. After a little while more White Feather, the crow that comes into the story numerous times, scares off the wolf.Along their journey Lewis , Clark and Seaman met a lot of Indians from many different tribes. Most of the Indians were friendly, and Lewis & Clark traded with them to get items for their journey. I liked the Captain's Dog because of the action and adventures they had! I also liked that the story was told from Seaman's point of view which could be funny at times.

The book is about a dog named Seaman who traveles on across America trying to find a North West passage with Louis and Clark. It was set back in the early seventeenth centry. I think this book is very realistic. It had a very interesting ending that really surprised me. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend this book to dog lovers and fans of historical fiction books. I would recommend ages 9 and up to read this adventure filled book. I liked this book more than all the Harry Potter books combined.

The captain's dog, is one of the best books I have ever read with real facts and great interpretations of what the dog (Seaman) thought. This book has all emotions including; sadness, happiness, and adventure. If you have not read this book, I advise you to read it. In the beginning, Seaman has trouble finding a good home and a good owner, but in the end his loyalty is recognized to Captain Lewis, but this book is not only about Seamans loyalty, it is about the many hardships that the lewis and clark tribe went through.

The Captains Dog is about this group of explorers that find Louis and Clark journey log and they followed the way that they went. The dog was the guide of Louis and Clark tribe.I liked this book because it was interesting to me.It was interesting to me because it was about great explorers.

Last year in fourth grade our teacher read us this book. I really love the book The Captain's Dog. I like history and learning about Lewis and Clark, so I learned a lot about their adventure 200 years ago. I learned a lot of new stuff about Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's jobs and what they had to do on their journey.