My Name Is York [Paperback]

Van Elizabeth Steenwyk (Author), Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

The boats slip into the water at dawn and the journey begins. Some people think we may find monsters out West. But our leaders, Captain Lewis and Captain Clark, say that is an idea for dreamers. There is no room for dreaming on this journey into the unknown. Still, I dream and I carry my dream within me as we begin our quest to find a waterway to the western sea. I dream of finding freedom. My name is York and I am a slave. When the Lewis and Clark expedition launched its search for a water passage to the Pacific Ocean in 1803, a black slave accompanied them. His name was York and in this beautifully illustrated children's book, he tells the tale of this remarkable journey and his own search for freedom. It is an inspiring story of faith, courage, and resolve set against the backdrop of the most famous exploration in American history.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Publishing Llc (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873587588
• ISBN-13: 978-0873587587
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Exploration & Discoveries
  • #57 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Exploration & Discoveries

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars beautiful,evocative illustrations unsupported by writing, November 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: My Name Is York (Hardcover)

A beautifully illustrated book and compelling story but theaccount is told too quickly, too many events mentioned but none in anydepth. The language is pretentious and gets in the way of the story. I use the book in the elementary school library where I work, to talk about creative nonfiction, but I have to stop contstantly to fill in details which the book leaves out and I change the words as I read. The actual events are so powerful - a shame the book doesn't convey this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many inaccuracies, February 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: My Name Is York (Paperback)

Although the style of writing was good in this book, there were some glaring innaccuracies. For example, it states that the Lewis and Clark Expedition discovered a water passage to the Pacific. Actually, their greatest disappointment was that they were not able to cross the continent by water because of the mountain ranges they had to cross. Also, York did not pull Clark out of the ravine to save his life during a flash flood. By the time York reached Clark and his party, they were already safely out of the ravine. There were several smaller mistakes that might have been corrected with more research.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My Name Is York, June 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Name Is York (Paperback)

This is a wonderful sorce of information with a powerful storyline in the content area of American History. It deals with issues of slavery and longing to be free. An African- American slave by the name of York feels loyal to his master yet desires a life of his own. As a classroom teacher this is a for sure book choice for my classroom in teaching history to students. I highly recommend it to others.