Don't Know Much About the Pilgrims

by Kenneth C Davis, S. D. Schindler (Illustrator)

Overview

Thirty-four children on the Mayflower
Three days of Thanksgiving feasting
And hundreds of facts about the hardworking Pilgrims

Pilgrims in Plymouth: True or False Quiz

1. The Mayflower was a huge ship—nearly as large as the Titanic—with a bowling alley and a swimming pool!
2. Squanto, an Indian who helped the Pilgrims, spoke English.
3. Pilgrim farmers buried fish in the ground to help their corn grow better.
4. The Pilgrims called their harvest feast Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving today is a time for families to say grace and gobble turkey. But why did the Pilgrims start this tradition? And who were these people anyway? In this latest outstanding entry in the Don't Know Much About^® series by renowned author Kenneth C. Davis, you can discover all you ever wanted to know about the Pilgrims.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064462280
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/22/2006
Series:	Don't Know Much About Series
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of A Nation Rising; America's Hidden History; and Don't Know Much About^® History, which spent thirty-five consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 1.7 million copies, and gave rise to his phenomenal Don't Know Much About^® series for adults and children. A resident of New York City and Dorset, Vermont, Davis frequently appears on national television and radio and has been a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. He blogs regularly at www.dontknowmuch.com.

S. D. Schindler is the popular illustrator of many bestselling picture books, including How Santa Got His Job, Big Pumpkin, the Math Start title Betcha!, and the 2005 Newbery Honor Book Whittington. S. D. Schindler lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-4-Handsomely packaged and laced with more than a dash of irreverent cheek, this title will entice browsers who will probably learn a little along the way. Davis organizes the haphazard collection of factoids chronologically and covers the same material found in any of a number of other books on the period. Sidebars on nearly every page highlight related material, while colorful cartoon illustrations add visual appeal. Cutaway drawings show the interior of a typical Pilgrim house and of the Mayflower. Unfortunately, the simplification and the somewhat frivolous tone create some problems. The Puritans' disagreement with the Church of England dealt with issues far more serious than "fancy ceremonies and decorations." Stating that the king "said the Pilgrims had to shape up or ship out" is also misleading in that Separatist leaders were routinely imprisoned, not exiled. The brief paragraphs dealing with their time in Holland imply that they were unhappy there largely because "they had to work harder than they had worked in England." Paul Erickson's Daily Life in the Pilgrim Colony 1636 (Clarion, 2001) is a more informative source for reports. Connie and Peter Roop's Pilgrim Voices (Walker, 1997) is another good choice. Ann McGovern's -If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 (Scholastic, 1991) takes a lighthearted approach to the Pilgrims but presents the facts more precisely, and has a great cutaway diagram of the Mayflower that gives a real sense of just how crowded things were during the voyage. Davis's casual looks at history are popular, but librarians will want to consider how many of them their budgets can bear.-Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library, MA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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