Description: Offering a fascinating look at the explorers and settlers who participated in the westward expansion of the United States, along with more than 25 projects, kids can learn what it was like to be a pioneer in the 1800s. Full color. 8 x 10.
Brief description: Karen Bush Gibson is the author of more than 30 nonfiction books for children and a member of the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators. One of her books about women aviators was named a 2014 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People by the NCSS and a selection in Air & Space/Smithsonian's Best Children's Books of 2013 roundup of aviation and space-themed books. Karen lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Review Quotes:
This interactive survey of 19th-century American history focuses on westward expansion from early exploration to the realities of life on the Oregon Trail to the effects on native peoples and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Amply illustrated with cartoons and photographs, the text is kid-friendly with helpful insets that define new vocabulary as it occurs. Other insets provide supplemental information including passages from letters and journals, accounts of real families, essential questions to ponder, and QR codes that link to relevant web pages, many of them containing primary sources. Each chapter ends with activities that invite readers to delve deeper into the material or to put themselves in the shoes of early Americans. The language of some of the primary documents will be difficult for elementary schoolers and some things could use further explanation. Overall, however, the activities are thought-provoking and web links enrich the material covered. While not necessarily a book children will read from cover to cover, this is a valuable springboard for classroom teachers looking to bring immediacy to American history units and research projects. Additional Resources. Glossary. Index. Recommended