Pilgrims

 
 
The People That Settled the First American Colonies and Their Story.
Pilgrims
Settling the New World was no easy task. Traveling on a ship that’s at the mercy of the wind and water to a previously uncharted continent is harrowing at the least. The Pilgrims soon learn that they are not the first people to inhabit the land. Some tribes welcomed the adventurers while others attacked them. Without the help of the Native Americans the settlers would not have survived their first year. This collection looks at the troubles the first settlers faced when they arrived in North America.

   The Story of the Pilgrims is great for younger audiences. The soft colors and rounded shapes paired with simple text combine to make a nice into to the topic.
   If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 is a question/answer book that covers everything about the journey and the first year on land. Kids will be quickly drawn into how children lived during that time period.
   Tapenum’s Day follows a fictional representative of the Wampanoag tribe using photographs to show what it was like to live in that era. The story is told from Tapenum’s point of view which makes it accessible to children.
   Sarah Morton’s Day is similar to Tapenum’s Day, but it follows a young Pilgrim girl as she completes her daily tasks. This is a great book but it might need a little vocabulary lesson before it is read since some of the dialog is true to the time period. Also see the boy’s version Samuel Eaton’s Day.
   Three Young Pilgrims is a fictional story with very real details. The siblings survive all four seasons and don’t spare any details about the hardships they endured, even the death of their mother and new baby. It also includes Squanto and Samoset’s part in this chapter of history.
   Squanto’s Journey is a nice variation from typical Thanksgiving story books. It is a thoroughly researched story beginning with Squanto’s capture and abduction to be sold into slavery in Spain. Monks help him escape to England where he learns English and eventually makes his way back home. Once in America again, he acts as a translator to establish ties between his tribe and the settlers.
   The Very First Thanksgiving Day is told in the style of "This is the House That Jack Built" and is great for preschoolers. It spares a lot of the more unpleasant details the Pilgrims faced and sugarcoats it to some extent. It’s a kind introduction to the Thanksgiving story with colorful illustrations.
   Stories of the Pilgrims is perfect for upper elementary as it is more detailed and informative than most picture books. It is well researched and historically accurate while still emphasizing the Pilgrim’s faith.
   Jamestown is a story about a young colonial family reading their grandfather’s journal. It looks at everyday life in Jamestown and presents it in an easy to understand format using the journal to tell the story.