The book, “You wouldn't want to be an american colonist,” deserves full credit. It had a good overview of being an american colonist, by showing you all the different things that could and would happen to you while being one. The book had nice illustrations, that were friendly and entertaining. I would definitely suggest this book to other readers. As always I did enjoy how short the book was, and how there are so many facts on just twenty-eight pages. It was a very interesting book.

Now before you say that you would have become an american colonist, let me give you an idea of what that would mean. First of all, you would be crammed onto a tiny ship, where you would stay on for six months with the other one hundred-forty-four settlers. You would sleep on the floor of the lower deck, knowing that the Atlantic Ocean could sink the boat anytime. As you arrive in Virginia, you help to start a thriving colony. Still there would be some setbacks, like for example a fire could break out and burn down all the buildings, which you would now have to rebuild. As winter comes, a drought has made the crops fail. You would have eaten horses, dogs, cats, and rats. Dead bodies are buried daily, so that colonists will be able to dig them up to eat! Soon the colony grows again, and life is restored. ( )

In my opinion, this is a great informational book. The main purpose is to share with readers what it was like to be an American Colonist. The development/plot of the book from beginning to end is organized transitions very well. The book starts off with an introduction to the end of the 16th century, and goes on to the next major historical event with each turn of a page. The book entails events such as the colonists voyaging out in ships, settling in on native land, and then the various hardships of an American colonist. The illustrations of the book captured every single detail of the context well in a comic-book style. For example, one part of the book was describing how John Smith came to know the natives. In four little boxes on the bottom left side of the page, there was a numbered sequences of what occurred. The boxes had text that said, “1. Exploring, 2. Ambushed by hostile bowmen, 3. Taken prisoner, 4. Powhatan.” Next to each number within the boxes, showed pictures of what John Smith was going through. This book would be a great informational read for students. ( )

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.