You Wouldn't Want to Be an American Colonist!: A Settlement You'd Rather… (original 2004; edition 2004)

This book is basically a "how to" in being an American Colonist. It is some what funny at times and the pictures are great! There are tips and real facts about American Colonist. Sometimes it is a little biased to Americans and doesn't show the exact truth about the Natives.

Lots of gory bits in this one! The kids were actually a little grossed out by some of the lengths the colonists had to go to to survive famine. But overall another good book in this series. ( )

Summary:
This is a nonfiction book written like a cartoon strip. It has lots of pictures to guide you through the facts and story line. This book tells of the first successful colony of Jamestown. It takes you through the early years of 1607 to 1620. It is very factual telling about John Smith put in chains before arriving in Jamestown and the difficulty with the natives during the Starving Time between 1609 and 1610. This story is told with humor and is an easy read. It finally tells how Jamestown was successful with tobacco and how women were introduced to the colony.

Reaction:
I love how this is told with humor. Each page has “Handy Hints” that are poking fun at the colonists’ decisions or reinforce an interesting point. You have to read a paragraph, captions, and dialogue on each page. The illustrations are wonderful and would draw in students to the story.

Activities:
1. Have students create an illustrated time line as they go through the book.
2. Have students create a crossword puzzle for the vocabulary at the end of the book.

My kid will deffinatly have this book. Although it sort of paints the indains as the bad guys. witch we all know is not the case.!!!!!!!!! ( )

This is a highly entertaining series that includes lots of gory details that children will love. Make sure they read the "helpful hints" for survivial> ( )