《学校图书馆杂志》(School Library Journal)书评
Gr 2-4This book offers some useful and interesting information, but suffers from lack of detail and structure. The 18 double-page chapters, all heavily illustrated, cover pioneers in the United States from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s. Some chapters start with present-tense descriptions of typical wagon train events, such as a birth, then shift, sometimes abruptly, to straight descriptive information. Chapters featuring notable individuals are interspersed between more general ones, adding to the jumbled effect. The only map is on the frontispiece and lacks date and mountain range identification. The roughly chronological arrangement moves from early Appalachian pioneers to later west coast expansion, but incidents and anecdotes often interrupt the sequence. Davy Crockett appears before Lewis and Clark, and the lawmen and criminals from the 1870s are mentioned (without dates) before the California Gold Rush. Other dates are also missing. The author does a decent job of capturing the adventurous pioneer spirit, but, with the exception of the Gold Rush, generally passes over the various reasons why families chose to endure the hardships of a westward move. Though sod homes and log cabins are described, the focus is on the journeys of pioneers; the establishment of new communities and towns is not mentioned. Despite the awkward arrangement, the writing is solid, with many brief anecdotes and summaries of first-person accounts. The plentiful illustrations lend an inviting air to the large pages, though they are unspectacular. A flawed but serviceable addition.Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
