Going West (Picture Puffins)

I use this book (with many others) as part of my Westward Expansion/Pioneers unit for 3rd graders. It touches nicely on the subject and provides for opportunity to expand (in more detail of course) on the various encounters and experiences by the family along the way while "going west". My students enjoy it and always comment positively on it, both text and illustration.

I was disappointed in this book. The artwork made it seem like it would be something new and different (from the cover page: "The full-color artwork was prepared with charcoal, pastel, and colored pencils. It was then scanner-separated and reproduced in red, blue, yellow, and black halftones.") -- but the story itself is like a pale shadow of Little House on the Prairie. How they packed, camped, slept outside, forded a river... the part where Pa drove away every day down to the river and cut down trees to bring back and use for the logs to build their new home... it's all exactly the same. Winter came and the snow was so deep that Pa tied a rope between the house and barn and held onto it to go back and forth and do his chores... and so on and so forth. I disagree with the review below that the author didn't do any homework; but it looks to me like he/she only read ONE book -- and I'd rather read the original! Skip this book and get the real thing. Laura Ingalls Wilder did a better job.

Fast service, great book for my son

ぶたのオリバー君とアマンダちゃんの著者による、西部開拓民のお話。早春のある日両親と、７歳になったばかりのハンナ、弟のジェイク、赤ん坊のレベッカ人の一家５人は、幌馬車に乗って大草原での生活を目指して町を離れます。雨に降られ風邪をひき、苦難の末にパパの目的の地に着き家を建てて、大草原の生活が始まりました。暑い夏、厳しい冬、食べ物を貰いに押しかけてくるインディアン．．．ストーリーは「大きな森の小さな家」とほとんど同じですから、ローラ・インガルス版がまだ難しく感じるけれど、アメリカ開拓時代のお話をどうしても英語で読んでみたい！という人にお勧めします。