A Fourth of July on the Plains [Hardcover]

Jean Van Leeuwen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997 | Age Level: 6 and up

While his family travels westward on the Oregon trail, young Jesse helps plan a Fourth of July celebration, as he organizes the other children into a marching band that plays ""Yankee Doodle Dandy"" on a whistle, tin pan, and spoons."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4. Evoking another era with a story of a familiar celebration, this picture book focuses on the antics of a creative but mischievous boy named Jesse. He is left out of the preparations for this special day on the wagon train, a welcomed respite in the arduous journey from Indiana to Oregon. Jesse joins forces with his chums to invent some lively, homemade musical accompaniment to the "speechifying" and feast. The boys' contribution is very much appreciated, and the day ends triumphantly for Jesse, creating memories that will last a lifetime. The day is important to these hardy pioneers, and their emotions shine through in the hazy, yet realistic, pastel-toned artwork, executed in a combination of watercolor, colored pencils, and ink. Van Leeuwen has based her descriptions of food, dress, and customs on an actual celebration of the Fourth along the Oregon Trail in 1852, and on the memoirs of seven-year-old Jesse Applegate. This story could be used in conjunction with the author's Going West (Dial, 1992), as well as with David Williams's Grandma Essie's Covered Wagon (Knopf, 1993) and Scott Sanders's Aurora Means Dawn (Bradbury, 1989). This happy coordination of art and text is cause for celebration.?Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. Based on a diary account of a Fourth of July celebration on the Oregon Trail in 1852, this combines a child's voice and viewpoint with handsome paintings that capture the pioneer experience. When the wagon train from Indiana stops to rest the weary cattle and hold a feast for July fourth, Jesse is too young to join the men who go hunting, and he can't help the women baking and the older girls sewing a flag, so he and the other young boys find whistles, bells, and makeshift drums, and they surprise everyone with their marching band's rousing rendition of "Yankee Doodle." The touching details of Jesse's personal story, drawn from a real Jesse's lively memoirs, make us imagine what it was like for a family on the trail. Sorensen's watercolor double-page spreads, in warm shades of yellow and brown, with ink and colored pencil, focus on strong portraits of the individual people as they work and celebrate together among their tents and covered wagons on the stretching plains. Hazel Rochman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803717725
• ISBN-13: 978-0803717725
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,002,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Celebrating America's Birthday, July 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Fourth of July on the Plains (Hardcover)

Part of my daughter's and my July 4th celebrations every year is to watch the video "1776," not because it is the most accurate portrayal of American history, but because it at least commemorates WHY we celebrate Independence Day. My daughter enjoyed the book "A Fourth of July on the Plains" on several levels. First, the characters clearly remembered why we celebrate the 4th as they sewed a flag and gave speeches. The simplicty of the celebration also showed how people can have a great time with just the basics of good food, good fellowship, and an impromptu parade. Finally, the tale of pioneers heading west in a wagon train -- a piece of history in itself -- celebrating an even earlier era in America's past evoked a sense of continuity. It helped me show my daughter how for over 200 hundred years, generations of Americans have paid tribute to the country's founding.