Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark (Peachtree Junior Publication) [Hardcover]

Gail Langer Karwoski (Author), James Watling (Illustrator), Jay Rasmussen (Introduction)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Peachtree Junior Publication

Explore the Louisiana Purchase with Lewis and Clark and SeaMan the dog.
It is 1804-a historic year in America-the year that Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery set out for their now-legendary exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, departing St. Louis to travel across the country to the Pacific Ocean and back.
In this fictionalized biography of the journey based upon the journals of Lewis, Clark, and other members of the team, an unheralded member of the Corps, Seaman, a 150-pound Newfoundland dog, is introduced to young historians. Seaman travels the long journey with the Corps, serving a key role in the expedition's success, catching and retrieving game, and protecting the expedition team from wild animals and hostile Indians.
Come along with Lewis, Clark, the Corps of Discovery, and Seaman as they meet Sacagawea who joins the expedition; form friendships with several Indian tribes; survive near-death encounters; grizzly bear attacks; and buffalo bull stampedes through the camp; cross the Continental Divide; overcome the wounding of their seemingly fearless leader, Meriwether Lewis; rejoice as they return to civilization in 1806.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Sometime in the summer of 1803, Meriwether Lewis paid the huge sum of $20 for a Newfoundland dog that he named Seaman. This animal participated in one of the great adventures in American history and became part of the written record of the Lewis and Clark expedition. He is mentioned nearly 30 times in the diaries of the two captains and even had a creek named after him. Once young readers begin this fictional account of the dog's role in the expedition, they will be caught up in the drama and action and even reluctant readers will find it just too good to put down. By concentrating on the interaction of the dog with the members of the Corps of Discovery, Karwoski humanizes the men and woman of the expedition, but she is guilty of trying to soften the historical realities. York is introduced by Clark as his "servant" rather than his slave. Also, readers will be hard-pressed to come away with a clear understanding of Sacagawea. This book does convey a strong sense of the adventure without sentimentalizing her relationship with Clark or without concentrating too much on the sense of rugged individualism and Manifest Destiny. Interwoven with the story is information about protein shortages, problems with vermin and bugs, and the dangers of having an unskilled braggart as a boatsman. The text is accompanied by two useful maps and Watling's black-and-white drawings that are captioned by the original entries from the men's journals.
Dona J. Helmer, Montana State University, Billings, MT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Based on a true story gleaned from period journals, this historical novel dramatizes the story of Seaman, the Newfoundland dog that accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition. Along the way, Seaman befriends a member of the Corps of Discovery and proves itself to be a valuable contributor to their happiness and success. Despite the occasional passage of information-laden conversation, the story flows well. The appended author's note separates fact from fiction to some extent and tells what happened to the main characters after the events in the book. James Watling's many handsome, shaded-pencil drawings will help readers visualize the setting, hardships, and dramatic moments of the story; and two maps will enable them to follow the explorers' route. An effective, fictional introduction to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 187 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Jr; Anniversary edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561452769
• ISBN-13: 978-1561452767
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Exploration & Discoveries

More About the Author

Gail Langer Karwoski was born in Boston, Massachusetts, has a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, and an M.A. from the University of Minnesota. She and her husband, Chester, moved to Georgia in 1974 and raised two daughters, Leslie and Geneva, and many bossy cats. Gail taught grades 3-12 in public schools until 1998, and she co-wrote her first book (The Tree that Owns Itself) with a teaching colleague because "we needed some good stories to enrich our Georgia unit." Her books are widely read in schools throughout the country and have appeared on state award lists in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, and more. She has been named Georgia Author of the Year in Juvenile Literature three times. For more info, visit her website: www.gailkarwoski.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique perspective on a great historical event!, June 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark (Peachtree Junior Publication) (Paperback)

Ok, ok--so at 49, I'm a little over the age limit for juvenile historical fiction. Nevertheless, I bought this book for myself and "wolfed" it down in short order--something that Seaman would be too civilized to do. There was plenty of action and thrills as I traveled up the Missouri and crossed the Great Plains and the Rockies with the intrepid band of explorers, and I got all choked up at the end of their journey when the group parted ways (I won't give away the details, though!). I had fun learning a lot about one of the great historical events of our nation. This book is a fine read at any age and I highly recommend it!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meticulous attention to historic detail and background, February 7, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark (Peachtree Junior Publication) (Paperback)

Seaman: The Dog Who Explored The West With Lewis & Clark is a wonderfully written, very highly recommended historical novel. Young readers will thrill to the story of an epic American saga showcased through Lewis' brave and loyal dog Seaman, the first dog to cross the continent and open up the west for the fledgling country of America. Author Gail Karwoski has given meticulous attention to historic detail and background, always the hallmark of a superior historical novel. She combines this with an impressive gift for storytelling that will engage young readers from first page to last. One special and unique feature is the Q & A format for the "Author Notes" at the end of this remarkable work.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seaman, a brave and loyal dog explorer, who left his big pawprint on the history of America!, March 15, 2006

By 

Glenn Miller "Surf-Rat" (Clearwater, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark (Peachtree Junior Publication) (Hardcover)

Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West With Lewis and Clark
by Gail Langer Karwoski 183 pages
The book Seaman started out with Merriwether Lewis buying the Newfoundland dog Seaman from a hunter. Lewis and Clark were getting their explorers ready to go explore the continent. All of the characters were real explorers who were in the Corps of Discovery. This book showed how brave Sacagawea really was. She never once panicked when the boat tipped over. She was calm and quiet. Seaman, one of the main characters, was a wonderful, intelligent animal. What I liked about this book was that I really enjoyed reading it. It made me understand the Lewis and Clark expedition a lot better, and I loved how they included Seaman along in their journey. Seaman was a really smart dog and he cheered the explorers up whenever they were sad and homesick. This book was also based on true events. What I didn't like about this book was how at the end, Seaman didn't stay with Merriwether Lewis. He stayed with John Colter and continued to explore the West. I wish I knew what happened to Seaman. All in all I loved this book! I would definently recommend this book. I can tell it is for younger readers, but I still thought it was a nice book. I think that any animal and history fans will LOVE this book! Seaman is so smart and he has a wonderful personality. I am happy I chose this book.