N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims [Paperback]

Robert San Souci (Author), N. C. Wyeth (Illustrator, Artist)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

The adventurous saga of the settling of the Plymouth Colony is strikingly portrayed in this magnificent book. Spectacular paintings by renowned artist N.C. Wyeth, gloriously bring to life the carefully researched text by well known children's book author Robert San Souci. The story of the Pilgrims, including the first Thanksgiving, is a central part of America's history and, over the course of time, it has taken on an almost mythical quality. Drawing upon a variety of resources, including the author's trip to the Plimouth Plantation, the text dispels some popular misconceptions about the setting of our nation as it broadens our understanding of the bravery and determination of our forebears. A beautiful artbook as well as an informative history book, N.C Wyeth's Pilgrims belongs in every home, library, and classroom.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best known for his illustrations of such classics as Treasure Island and Robin Hood , N. C. Wyeth also had a successful career as a muralist. In the '40s he created a series of murals for New York's Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, presented here in all their restored glory. The paintings offer an idyllic, highly romanticized vision of Pilgrim life--the robust men and women and lush surroundings, for example, don't even hint at the severe deprivations suffered by the original colonists. This shortcoming is outweighed by the breathtaking scope and beauty of the illustrations and the glimpse they offer of an unspoiled country's bounty. San Souci's workmanlike text is well researched, accurate and packed with information. Unfortunately, it never rises above the prosaic, and ends up sounding like the soundtrack to a particularly didactic documentary. Geared primarily toward the classroom (the book is dedicated to the schoolteachers of America), this volume isn't without merit, but its lack of immediacy and sparkle will not do much to breathe life into the subject of history. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up-- Wyeth's 14-panel mural of the early Pilgrim years, done for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company building in the early 1940s, has been handsomely reproduced (although never in its entirety) to accompany a spare but aesthetically appealing recitation of the legends of Myles Standish, Squanto, and the anticlimactic "First Thanksgiving." The figures are solidly rendered, as if cut from Plymouth's rocky soil, and wear the expected white collars, flowing capes, bonnets, and high-crowned hats. Readers are offered broad vistas, in keeping with mural design, but also closeups of significant objects like a full-sailed Mayflower or a flirtatious maid at her spinning wheel. The overall visual effect is softly upbeat and romantic. Even winter snow scenes are suffused with a heavenly light that must surely symbolize success. If this visual version of the Pilgrims is much more myth than fact, so what? The endpapers reproduce the Mayflower's passenger list that records the many deaths, remarriages, and births of the early years, ignored in Wyeth's paintings. San Souci's text, mostly unrelated to the pictures, does provide a modicum of information about the reasons for the flight from England and some of the events involved with producing a settlement. These bits of the record can be found in many other histories. What makes this book special is that it is to be experienced as a healthy fairy tale told with artistic potency and a strong sense of the human scale of the history. --Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811814866
• ISBN-13: 978-0811814867
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 10.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #798,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Commercial > Illustration

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Attractive and Readable Book on the Pilgrims!, November 20, 2000

By 

Volkert Volkersz (Snohomish, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims (Paperback)

The lush, romanticized illustrations--in the same tradition as Norman Rockwell--by renowned American artist N.C. Wyeth, are what first draws young readers to this book. While the paintings taken from Wyeth's murals may not always line up with the clear, concise writing of Robert San Souci, it doesn't detract from the narrative.

This is a classy book for middle grade students, providing a readable account of the Pilgrim's journey aboard the Mayflower and first year in New England. While the illustrations may be idealized, San Souci leaves no doubt that life was difficult for the settlers of Plymouth.

Notes at the end of the book provide interesting and helpful background on the writing of the book and information about the artist, who died in 1945, and the murals that are the source of these illustrations.

This is a nice addition for information on New England colonial life, as well as the feast of Thanksgiving.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good glimpse of history for children, March 16, 2003

By 

"tall_guy_03" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims (Paperback)

I thought that this book was a really good book. The best part about it was that it had to do with history. I think it will still keep the interest of kids while teaching them about what happened back then. It also had great pictures. While I was reading it, the pictures jumped out at me. It wasn't too lengthy either. I found that to be quite nice. I would recommend it to children if they are looking for an interesting and educational book. With this book, you can not only enjoy it, but you can also learn. That is why I gave it 5 stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wyeth's 12 murals of the pilgrim experience narrated, September 8, 2011

By 

C. B Collins Jr. (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims (Paperback)

This book is more than a children's book because it is illustrated with images from 12 large murals that N.C. Wyeth created for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. This commission was the largest in N.C. Wyeth's career and unfortunately he died in an automobile accident before the entire project was completed. As a children's book telling the stories of the pilgrims, it is a great book with Robert San Souci's text that never talks down to children. However, for those interested in the visual arts, the book is also a record of these grand murals that Wyeth created to honor the experiences of the pilgrims. Wyeth selected not to paint all the frostbite and hunger and danger but instead created a robust, warm, glowing vision of the pilgrim experience in the new world. I do find the influence of Howard Pyle in the work of N.C. Wyeth, his most famous pupil. Both used a crisp outline to define shapes and the relationships between shapes, both were attracted to idea forms and images and created stunningly beautiful men and women. A beautiful painting of a young muscular handsome pilgrim courting a young women at her spinning wheel will illustrate my point. Within the outlined contour, Wyeth modulates the color to great effect. If you are interested in artists and their production, this is a nice collection of Wyeth's paintings around a single theme. If you have children, this is a beautiful book about the pilgrim experience from an idealized, romantic perspective.