Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition) [Hardcover]

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent (Author), William Munoz (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Lewis & Clark Expedition

When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on their landmark journey of discovery in 1804, President Thomas Jefferson directed them to notice “the soil and face of the country, its growth and vegetable productions.” The explorers collected and preserved nearly two hundred seeds and specimens, from small prairie flowers to towering evergreen trees, many of them previously unknown to science. From the Indians they encountered, they learned which plants were edible—thus avoiding starvation—and which could be used as building materials for their canoes and shelters. Looking to find a water route across North America, map the uncharted territory, and discuss peaceful trade with the Indians, Lewis and Clark became central figures in the country’s westward expansion and major contributors to its scientific scholarship.

In this welcome companion to Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent traces the celebrated journey, examines the rich array of plant life the men sighted, and tells what became of the specimens over the ensuing two centuries. Adorned with William Munoz’s beautiful photographs of a variety of colorful plants, this visual feast is sure to captivate nature lovers and historians alike. Route map, suggestions for further reading, chronology of plants collected, index.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-A companion volume to Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark (Clarion, 2002). An excellent two-page map shows camps and landmarks along the route of the explorers from the (current) Iowa/Illinois/Missouri border north and west to the Pacific Ocean at what is now the Washington/Oregon border. Lewis and Clark led the army expedition to explore and map more than 2000 miles of North America, find a water route across the country, discuss peaceful trade with the Indian tribes, and study and record soil and vegetation along the way. Lewis's knowledge of plants and their medicinal properties and Clark's familiarity with waterway navigation and land surveying led to the overwhelming success of this amazing journey. The explorers filled journals with carefully detailed descriptions of various plant species in their natural settings as well as how they used them as building material, food, and medicines. Patent gives examples that attest to the cleverness and mechanical abilities of the explorers and to the aid they received from the Nez Perce, Mandan, and other tribes. Good-quality, full-color photos and reproductions clearly extend the text. A listing of plant specimens collected and dried by the pair that can be found in the Lewis and Clark Herbarium (Philadelphia), sources for further reading, and a thorough index are appended. The author's knowledge of and keen interest in her subject matter is very evident in this fascinating account that helps bring to life an amazing episode in American history.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. This companion to Patent and Munoz's Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark (2002) considers the plants that Lewis and Clark saw along their way and the many that they introduced into the field of botany. Lewis was trained in the identification and preservation of plants before the journey. He wrote about the plants he saw, collected seeds, and pressed and dried hundreds of specimens, some of which can still be seen today. The book also discusses the importance of trees and edible plants to the explorers' success. Excellent color photographs appear on almost every page, spotlighting living examples of individual plants as well as vistas seen along the route. Exceptionally fine clarity, composition, and lighting distinguish these photos. The appendixes include an author's note identifying major research sources and recommending books and Web sites and a herbarium listing 175 surviving specimens and when and where they were collected. Of the many books recently published on the Lewis and Clark expedition, this is one of the most tightly focused, most interesting, and most beautiful. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; 1st ed edition (March 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618067760
• ISBN-13: 978-0618067763
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,033,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Botany

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative book for elementary & middle school students, April 7, 2003

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

This review is from: Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition) (Hardcover)

The harrowing 1804 expedition of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark across the American wilderness has been well-documented on a library full of history books. Western expansion was the dream of then-President Thomas Jefferson, and so the co-commanders Lewis and Clark began a cross-country trip through the pristine wilderness stretching across North America to the Pacific Ocean to not only stake a claim in the west, but also to collect specimens of plants and animals, map the unfamiliar frontier, find a northwest passage for men to follow, and to establish trade with Native American tribes. This informative book for elementary and middle school students touches on all those matters, but takes a unique approach by concentrating on one particular aspect of the expedition: North American flora and fauna. What new and exotic plants did Lewis and Clark see during their cross-country trip through the pristine wilderness? What specimens of plants and animals did they encounter? Why were trees so important to the success of the expedition? What new sources of food did they discover? How did they discover uses for wildflowers? What was the fate of Lewis's specimens? Most species collected were new to science at the time Lewis collected them, so this historical look at the scientific nature of the journey is a valuable one indeed. "Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark" will not only instill knowledge in its young readers, but also a healthy desire to preserve the natural and historical places of the western U.S.