Three Young Pilgrims [Paperback]

Cheryl Harness (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aladdin Picture Books

When Bartholemew, Remember, and Mary Allerton and their parents first step down from the Mayflower after sixty days at sea, they never dream that life in the New World will be so hard. Many in their Plymouth colony won't make it through the winter, and the colony's first harvest is possible only with the help of two friends, Samoset and Squanto.

Richly detailed paintings show how the pilgrims lived after landing at Plymouth, through the dark winter and into the busy days of spring, summer, and fall. Culminating with the excitement of the original Thanksgiving feast, Three Young Pilgrims makes history come alive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Using the lives of three real children who traveled on the Mayflower and lived in the Plymouth Colony--Mary, Remember and Bartholomew Allerton--Harness focuses on their experiences and "adventures during one year, between the autumns of 1620 and 1621." She surrounds their story with the larger one of the Pilgrims' struggle for religious freedom and human survival, and invests these figures from the past with a vitality and accessibility that transcend the customary seasonal emphases. This is no sanitized interpretation: the death of the children's mother and her new baby is included, as are the illnesses and deaths of many of the other "Saints"--Pilgrims--and "strangers"--non-religious members of the settlement party. Nor is the historical information here confined to the well-paced, involving text; equally effective are the carefully researched watercolor, gouache and colored pencil paintings--possessed of a suitable rusticity, they expand the narrative with dramatic intensity. A generous inclusion of diagrams, charts and maps abounds with the kind of details and labels capable of mesmerizing youngsters for hours. This notable blend of fact and fiction deserves year-round popularity. Ages 5-10.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Cheryl Harness is an author-illustrator, speaker, sometime sculptor, and harmonica player. She has created many acclaimed historical picture books, including Ghosts of the Civil War, Ghosts of the White House, Ghosts of the 20th Century, Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi, and Three Young Pilgrims. She lives in Independence, Missouri, with her Scottie, Maude, and her cats, Irene and Merrie Emma.

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689802080
• ISBN-13: 978-0689802089
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Holidays & Festivals > Thanksgiving
  • #9 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Thanksgiving

More About the Author

Cheryl Harness makes her home in Independence, Missouri, the "Queen City of the Trails," a couple of blocks away from the big white house where Harry and Bess Truman used to live. She lives with Mimi (a black and white Shih Tsu)), and Merrie Emma (a cross-eyed scaredy-cat). As an author, illustrator, public speaker, and presenter in many an elementary school, Cheryl is known for her engaging, entertaining approach to history, her detailed watercolors, and the way she plays her harmonica.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Unusual Gem, October 9, 2001

By 

Crazy James (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Young Pilgrims (Paperback)

Cheryl Harness has produced the most unusual gem of the Mayflower story that I have yet run across. The story, by adult standards is choppy in its progression, but is quite charming in its childlike perspective of the harshness that the pilgrims must have faced both on the Mayflower and in the founding of Plymouth including the time of the Thanksgiving feast. The story is sandwiched between pages that give interesting details of the ship, the voyage, and the people and events of the time that would be certain to satisfy the curious reader or listener. The artwork was beautifully illustrated in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil and has been wonderfully reproduced in colored ink. This is both a wonderful holiday and historical book that should please all ages.

Crazy James

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, especially for those with Mayflower kin!, June 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Harpswell, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Young Pilgrims (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful and informative book for children and adults that tells the story of the Allerton family as they travel to America. Readers will enjoy both the illustrations -- detailed cut-aways of the ships they sailed in -- and the text which does not mince words about the difficulties of the journey. For anyone who has relatives on the Mayflower, this is a lovely story of how our ancestors first came to this country. It reminds us of how brave they were.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Young Pilgrims is the best Thanksgiving book for young, November 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Three Young Pilgrims (Paperback)

I discovered Three Young Pilgrims by accident and had to have it. Beautifully told believable story that brings history alive for all ages and illustrations are detailed and excellent. I recommend it for ages 7 to 107!