N. C. Wyeth (1882–1945)

Contemporary children's author Robert D. San Souci, perhaps best known for his folkloric retellings, here spins the nonfiction story of the sailing of the Mayflower and the establishment of the Plymouth Colony. His text, quite extensive for a picture book, is accompanied by reproductions of celebrated American artist and illustrator N.C. Wyeth's series of murals depicting the Pilgrims and their settlement. The narrative covers the voyage across the Atlantic, the first period anchored off the show more coast of Massachusetts, when the Pilgrims were still living mostly onboard ship, the choice of a settlement and slow exploration, first meetings with local Native Americans, the building up of the settlement and first year, and concludes with the first Thanksgiving feast. The book closes with a note from San Souci regarding the history, and the sources he used, as well as a note on N.C. Wyeth...

I love N.C. Wyeth's artwork, so when I discovered that Robert D. San Souci—an author whose work in other veins I have enjoyed—had penned a picture book history of the Pilgrim settlement and first Thanksgiving, one that made use of Wyeth's murals depicting those subjects, I immediately sought it out. I was not disappointed, finding it a good general history of the subject, and a visual treat that rewards a slow and leisurely examination. The paintings here are lovely, both in their overall composition, and in many of their details. I think my favorite scene was a more domestic one, in which a Pilgrim woman is spinning, and her suitor, hat in hands, is speaking to her. Of course, as is pointed out in the note at the rear, this scene would not have been realistic for the first year depicted in the text, when conditions would have been far more primitive, but it is beautiful all the same. Recommended to fellow admirers of N.C. Wyeth's work, as well as those seeking a basic picture book introduction to the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. show less

I checked this book out for the N. C. Wyeth illustrations. They had an odd quality, unlike the illustrations I'm used to, from, e.g., Treasure Island. There's a reason for that, the illustrations are reproductions of murals that N. C. Wyeth was commissioned to paint in the cafeteria of the MetLife building in NYC in the 1940s. They have a flat and simple quality that his adventure paintings do not have, and there are no sinister faces or intimations of violence. The Mayflower picture is, show more like his other ship pictures, dramatic. N.C. Wyeth died before he could complete the commission and later his son Andrew Wyeth completed the paintings that he had already sketched out. None of those later completed paintings are used in this book.

The story is simply told, without any effusions. There is an author's note at the end. A classic. show less

This nonfiction picture book is beautifully illustrated by N.C. Wyeth who created the paintings for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. in the 1940s. Because these paintings were originally for a client, the paintings are dreamy and romantic. The text accompanying the illustrations is simple and straightforward. It does not need to have a glossary of terms because the target audience appears to be lower elementary. The tone of the book gives a very rosy-colored view of the Plymouth show more settlement and glosses over the hardships the settlers faced and the conflicts with the local Native Americans. Although the book claims to be "carefully researched," the author only mentions using William Bradford's account of the settlement of Plymouth and research conducted while visiting the historical site. He does add facts at the back of the book to clarify some of the inaccuracies depicted in the paintings. For example, "the Pilgrims did not wear somber clothing all the time, the furnishings were from a later date, etc." but this information could be easily overlooked by a reader. The writing style is not inviting for independent readers because it reads too much like a text book. I felt like I was reading an assigned report on the Plymouth colony. (The book could be used to show students how artists can manipulate their subjects in order to present a certain view - cheerful and uplifting. To be fair, Wyeth's clients could have requested specific details in his paintings.) show less

The images in this book remind me of an old Disney movie. There are a few sections where there are no if very little pictures but the pages with images are very descriptive. I like that this story actually begins with why the pilgrims left England. While it doesn't give a ton of detail here it does explain the main reason they left, I have found that this is often left out of many pilgrim stories. It also mentions the death, sickness, and hardships that many pilgrims faced when first show more arriving the new world. It also included the roles of boys and girls in the new world which I think can help the students empathize with the situation a little more. show less