Sacagawea

March 1, 2013

Gr 4-6-These books open with an introduction in the voice of the subject of the biography, followed by "People You Will Meet" and a chronology. Next, several chapters outline the main events in the subjects' lives', and end with "10 Things You Should Know About" and "10 MORE Things That Are Pretty Cool to Know." In Washington, readers get broad strokes regarding the man's childhood and years at Mount Vernon, and then follow the time line into his military career. Specific moments in his career and in American history are highlighted, often in sidebars. Sacagawea follows the same format, beginning with the young woman's life with the Lemhi Shoshone and including her capture and subsequent sale by the Hidasta. Her role as interpreter for Lewis and Clark is shown as important to the success of their journey. Both books have sketchlike illustrations throughout. One drawback in these volumes is in the design. The placement of text boxes often interrupts the flow of the text and leads to some flipping back and forth to get all of the information. For example, a box outlining Washington's prowess in math but failure in spelling is placed mid-sentence, leaving readers to either abandon the sentence about his brother or flip back once it is read. The time lines are oriented horizontally, rather than vertically. The overall effect of these design choices detracts from the presentations. The "Who Was" series (Grosset & Dunlap) may be a better first choice for school libraries.-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
Grades 2-4 This biography of America's first female explorer provides young readers with a fairly balanced look at how values change in different eras while also presenting Sacagawea as a realistic person. Interactions between Native American bands, as well as between genders, are addressed straightforwardly but without losing the energy and excitement Sacagawea brought to her own life. The pencil-sketch artwork, by contrast, looks crude and dated and will do little to pull readers into the biography or illustrate any of its points. Some of the informational inserts that interrupt the main narrative aren't as clearly differentiated by design as they could be, making for awkward page turns. As a research text for those in early grades, the book's facts are sound and buttressed by relevant and accessible online and print resources, while the narrative has enough style to keep readers connected to the story about a woman whose efforts still inspire.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)