Lewis and Clark (In Their Own Words) [School & Library Binding]

George Sullivan (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Recounts the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the uncharted western wilderness, placing it in its historical context.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-These titles have "reluctant reader" written all over them. They are decently packaged with well-chosen and credited photographs, but the large-print, generously spaced text is written in short, choppy sentences, losing the narrative flow and the drama of history well told. In Lewis and Clark, the expedition is said to be traveling "mostly north" toward the Gates of the Mountains, after their portage of the Great Falls on the Missouri River, an egregious geographical error. Even more bizarre is the use of the term "Chopponish" for the much more commonly known Nez Perce. Expedition journals used the uncommon appellation, but there is no footnote explaining the connection. Unfortunately, in telling about the expedition's various encounters with Native Americans, Sullivan emphasizes the potentially threatening, unfriendly, and fearsome aspects. Paul Revere also contains factual errors but suffers even more from oversimplification. There is no discussion of the American colonial system as context for the independence movement and revolution; events such as the First Continental Congress are mentioned with no explanation. For a title on Lewis and Clark that is truly "in their own words" see Peter and Connie Roop's Off the Map: The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Walker, 1993), and for an excellent, accessible history, Rhoda Blumberg's The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark (Morrow, 1995) is hard to beat. Jean Fritz's And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? (Coward-McCann, 1973) remains a favorite account of the silversmith's daring role in revolutionary America. Given the sloppy effort, these titles are marginal.
Nancy Collins-Warner, Neill Public Library, Pullman, WA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 128 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613259920
• ISBN-13: 978-0613259927
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,122,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fifth Grade Teacher says ..., March 23, 2002

By 

Beth Meyers (Schell City, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lewis and Clark (In Their Own Words (Scholastic Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

We just finished a week long, very intense study of Lewis and Clark. This was the book we used as a textbook. Neither the students nor I could put it down. They begged to read just one more chapter every time. The special education aide who comes in during reading even took the book home with her so she wouldn't miss anything. If you want to get kids excited about history, these "In Their Own Words" books by George Sullivan will do it!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My two cents worth ..., April 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lewis and Clark (In Their Own Words (Scholastic Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

George Sullivan has created a very readable and fairly accurate book here. It suffers from a few errors, one of which is so glaring that it calls into question how thoroughly the book was checked or edited. This obvious error is related to the illustration on page 24, which is purported to be a drawing of William Clark's from his journal. In fact, it is not from the journals and was not drawn by Clark. The only accurate information in the book regarding this illustration is that it is credited to be among the collections of the American Philosophical Society Library. The picture on page 24 was actually drawn by Charles Willson Peale; is APS item 917.3 L58 Misc. VII, and can be viewed on-line at www.amphilsoc.org/library/guides/landc/fisher.jpg.

Other historical inaccuracies include his description of a pirogue (page 29); his claim (on page 35) that roasted beaver tongue was a favorite food (he apparently meant roasted beaver tail, or perhaps buffalo tongue); and, on page 75, where he claims that "In the Shoshone camp, Lewis met Cameahwait, the Shoshone chief." Actually, Cameahwait was among the sixty mounted warriors who came racing out at full speed to protect their people from these unknown strangers.

Still, all in all, it is a fine book and is certainly a better choice for children than the competing book by Kathryn Lasky entitled "The Journal of Augustus Pelletier : The Lewis and Clark Expedition." Lasky's book contains much fiction; is not well and obviously marked as such, and presents a very misleading picture to its youthful readers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD OVERVIEW FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, September 26, 2006

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lewis and Clark (In Their Own Words (Scholastic Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this work and the young folk in my class also enjoy it. It is quite well written and tbe black and white illustrations are quite good and fit well with the text. As one reviewer pointed out, yes, there are a couple of errors in the book but these are really of very little moment, particularly for the level of study this work was ment for. The author has used many quotes from the explorer's journals which makes the book come to life. After reading this work, the young student should be able to have a pretty good understanding of the signifcance of this journey, the hardships, the addition to our knowledge at that time, and the spirit of the overall expediton. Most importantly, it is this sort of work that will encourage the young reader and student of history to go further, read other books on the same subject and branch out even further. Overall, recommend this one highly.