How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark

Too long for tots. ?áOr for me, for that matter. ?áI appreciate that the text is authentic because it's primary material (actual quotes), and I appreciate the lively, kid-friendly pix, but *to me* it read more like an 'Eyewitness' kind of book, and with no actual narrative I was not able to focus.

The book begins with Lewis's letter to Clark proposing a "trip to explore those western rivers which may run all the way across North America to the western ocean" and Clark's reply "to cheerfully join you in this rewarding endeavor."

From there, every stage of the journey is illustrated--from the building of the ships the crew would use, the choosing of the crew itself, and the farewell from St. Louis on May 14, 1804, to meetings with friendly and unfriendly Indian tribes, discovering a wealth of previously unknown plants and animals, bouts with fleas and fever, a miserable climb through the Bitterroot Mountains, and finally the much-longed-for view of the Pacific Ocean.

The text is taken directly from the journals of Lewis and Clark.

This book has great images! While it does give a present a story like version of historical events, mentions conflict here and there; I do not think it is entirely factual. It focuses a lot on the Native Americans as they were a major part of the Louisiana Purchase, however while it does show that there were conflicts it doesn't necessarily explain how or if they were resolved. It just shows they had disagreements then were fine. This might be a little confusing to the students if they were to actually think about the events.

This book is great for a 4th grader learning about the travels of Lewis and Clark. Instead of just reading about the details, there are pictures, fun facts, illustrations, timelines and maps to captivate the reader.

This is a National Geographic book, that was inspired by the actual journals and letters written by Lewis and Clark. I wasn't particularly fond of it, but my students enjoyed it.

Summary:
Rosalyn Schanzer wrote and illustrated this book. The illustrations are beautiful and wonderfully detailed. This book is based on the journals of Lewis and Clark, as well as some of the others traveling with them. Instructional Use:
Correlates with NAD Reading Standard LA.4.RI.3 and LA.4.RI.11

An illustrated and informational, nonfiction account of Lewis and Clark's adventure west