Missions of the San Francisco Bay Area (California Missions) [Hardcover]

Tekla N. White (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: California Missions

Charts the histories of the missions of San Francisco de Asis, Santa Clara, San Jose, San Rafael Arcangel, and San Francisco Solano, and briefly describes life among the Ohlone and Coast Miwok Indians before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?Welcome additions to curriculum support materials on California history. All three titles are attractive, balanced, and age appropriate. Each volume begins by placing the founding of the missions by Spanish Franciscan priests in a historical context. Spain's expansionist ambitions in the New World are discussed. Then a picture is painted of the land, flora and fauna, and indigenous Native American life in California before the European onslaught. A substantial section is devoted to each of the featured missions, with discussions of its origins, construction, daily functioning, and ultimate demise as an outpost of the Spanish empire. Respectful attention is given to the exploitation of the mission Indians known as "neophytes." The final portions of each volume describe the secularization of the missions in the mid 1800s, subsequent deterioration, and ultimate renovation in this century. Each text is richly illustrated with full-color and black-and-white annotated photographs and drawings. Frequent insets effectively highlight various points mentioned in the main text. Although these titles are not by any means exhaustive treatments, they do fill a gap in material on this subject for middle elementary grades. Librarians will still want to keep Linda Lyngheim's The Indians and the California Missions (Langtry, 1990) and The California Missions (Sunset-Lane, 1979; o.p.) for supplemental and more in-depth information.?Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-7. The California Missions series, a six-book set, documents the development of 21 Spanish missions and examines their impact on the indigenous cultures. In this volume, White chronicles the missions of San Francisco de Asis, Santa Clara de Asis, San Josede Guadalupe, San Rafael Arcangel, and San Francisco Solano. At the outset, White reminds readers of the pitfalls of telling the history of the California missions, with the debate centering around whether the mission system was a detriment or an asset to the Native Americans of the region. The balanced account reveals that though missions created successful farms and ranches and taught newly converted Christians useful new skills, many Native Americans involved with them longed to return to their old lifestyles, and many died from diseases carried by the Spanish and from malnutrition. Still others were mistreated and beaten, supposedly so that they would become better Christians. The full-color format is inviting, replete with period etchings, paintings, maps, and informative sidebars, as well as contemporary photos of the sites. Two other volumes are listed in the Series Roundup in this issue. Shelley Townsend-Hudson

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822519267
• ISBN-13: 978-0822519263
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,984,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars SF Area Missions, July 16, 2011

By 

Janet Ann Collins "Writer and Speaker" (California, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missions of the San Francisco Bay Area (California Missions) (Paperback)

This book does an excellent job of teaching kids about an important time in California history. While the intentions of the missionaries who founded the missions may have been good, their treatment of the local Native Americans was certainly not. I guess the part of Europe they came from still had the social attitudes of the Middle Ages and they assumed people different from themselves were inferior. But that was only the beginning of the history portrayed in this book. It will be very helpful to kids studying the history of the state in school and educators will find it useful. The text is broken up into sections by illustrations so all the information is not too overwhelming for kids.