A Picture Book of Sacagawea (Picture Book Biographies) [Paperback]

David A. Adler (Author), Dan Brown (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Picture Book Biographies

She joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a translator and guide.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-In this brief biography, Adler decribes how Sacagawea was kidnapped at the age of 10 or 11 by an enemy tribe, was sold as a second wife to a rough white trader and trapper who served as an interpreter on the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific, and assisted the expedition through her quick thinking and ability to communicate with other tribes. Unfortunately, none of the horror of her situation-being captured, her family murdered, her forced marriage-comes through in the straightforward text. Brown's illustrations are often at odds with the historical setting. The art is pure Hollywood, particularly the reunion between Sacajawea and her brother, with the young woman fully made up with lipstick and eye makeup. Faces are static, figures are awkwardly posed, and action scenes lack movement. Young readers may be interested in learning about the remarkable woman who graces the new dollar coin, but this story doesn't do her justice.
Shawn Brommer, Southern Tier Library System, Painted Post, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

David A. Adler's "Picture Book Biographies" have been hailed as an "expert mixture of facts and personality" (School Library Journal) and "handsomely designed" (Booklist). Mr. Adler is also the author of the "A First Biography" series for readers aged 7-11, as well as a number of novels and Judaica titles. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Dan Brown is a contributor for Holiday House Inc. titles including:" "A Picture Book of Sacagawea."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 28 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823416658
• ISBN-13: 978-0823416653
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 9.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write both fiction and non-fiction. I begin my fiction with the main character. The story comes later. Of course, since I'll be spending a lot of time with each main character, why not have him or her be someone I like? Andy Russell is based, loosely, on a beloved member of my family. He's fun to write about and the boy who inspired the character is even more fun to know. Cam Jansen is based even more loosely on a classmate of mine in the first grade whom we all envied because we thought he had a photographic memory. Now, especially when my children remind me of some promise they said I made, I really envy Cam's amazing memory. I have really enjoyed writing about Cam Jansen and her many adventures. For my books of non-fiction I write about subjects I find fascinating. My first biography was Our Golda: The Life of Golda Meir. To research that book, I bought a 1905 set of encyclopedia. Those books told me what each of the places Golda Meir lived in were like when she lived there. I've written many other biographies, including books about Martin Luther King, Jr; George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Helen Keller; Harriet Tubman; Anne Frank; and many others in my Picture Book Biography series. I've been a Yankee and a Lou Gehrig fan for decades so I wrote Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man. It's more the story of his great courage than his baseball playing. Children face all sorts of challenges and it's my hope that some will be inspired by the courage of Lou Gehrig. I am working now on another book about a courageous man, Janusz Korczak. My book One Yellow Daffodil is fiction, too, but it's based on scores of interviews I did with Holocaust survivors for my books We Remember the Holocaust, Child of the Warsaw Ghetto, The Number on My Grandfather's Arm, and Hiding from the Nazis. The stories I heard were compelling. One Yellow Daffodil is both a look to the past and to the future, and expresses my belief in the great spirit and strength of our children. I love math and was a math teacher for many years, so it was fun for me to write several math books including Fraction Fun, Calculator Riddles, and Shape Up! Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons. In my office I have this sign, "Don't Think. Just Write!" and that's how I work. I try not to worry about each word, even each sentence or paragraph. For me stories evolve. Writing is a process. I rewrite each sentence, each manuscript, many times. And I work with my editors. I look forward to their suggestions, their help in the almost endless rewrite process. Well, it's time to get back to dreaming, and to writing, my dream of a job. David A. Adler is the author of more than 175 children's books, including the Young Cam Jansen series. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for grade school students., June 5, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Picture Book of Sacagawea (Picture Book Biographies) (Hardcover)

A Picture Book Of Sacagawea is an illustrated children's book with a brief biography of Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who served and guide and interpreter for the exploration/journey of Lewis and Clark into the great Northwest territory of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. From her birth in 17888 or 89 in Idaho to the end of the expedition in Fort Mandan, August of 1806, the biography gives known details of Sacagawea's many helpful and courageous actions. Her eventful life is still incompletely known. The dates of her death are given as "either December 20, 1812, or April 9, 1884." But her life is definitely an example of inspiration to young readers. The colorful illustrations are complementary but not distracting from the simply written text. The author and illustrator give special thanks to Brigham D. Madsen, author of The Northern Shoshoni and Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Utah. In addition, there is a selective bibliography to encourage young readers to look further for information about this Shoshoni woman. A Picture Book Of Sacagawea is an excellent resource for elementary or middle school age students.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars use in a classroom, November 3, 2003

By 

Robert Moore - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Picture Book of Sacagawea (Picture Book Biographies) (Hardcover)

This is a great book that will give students an insight into the life of Sacagawea. It details her time with Lewis and Clark. It also gives students an idea of what life was like for explorers traveling west in the early 19th century.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Picture Book of Sacagawea, October 13, 2009

By 

Joshua - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Picture Book of Sacagawea (Picture Book Biographies) (Paperback)

This book was a biography of Sacagawea. It begins with her birth in 1788 or 1789 on the western part of the Rocky Mountains. It goes on to her capture by the Hidatsa warriors and her marriage to Toussaint Carbonneau. The biography also covers significant events that occurred during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I liked how this book gave more insight into Sacagawea's life as well as the Lewis and Clark expedition. There was much information and details that I did not know before. It also included great illustrations. Overall, I thought it was a great book.