I have long known Knowledge Quest as a source of maps, geography and living history books and apps. When I see something new they are offering, I know it will be something good. One of their latest living books, Sacagawea: Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know, is not just good, but excellent.
What we have noticed and enjoyed with this series is that it is written for children. We are introduced to these famous people not at the point of their well-known accomplishment, but years earlier. By “meeting” these “soon-to-be” famous people in their childhood, our children are easily able to relate to them and more interested in learning more. My children have been drawn into the story and want to know all they can of their new friends.
We often read historical fiction and enjoy using living history books as a major part of our history curriculum. We talk frequently of what exactly historical fiction is and isn’t. My children know that while some of the details are accurate, the story is fiction. Most authors of historical fiction spend a lot of time researching to get those facts just right. The story they weave around those facts is what brings history to life and makes it so interesting (not just for the children!).
We have not covered this time period in history yet. My children’s only encounters with Sacagawea thus far have been a vague knowledge that she was involved with the Corps of Discovery and Lewis and Clark’s Expedition west. My girls (ages 12, 10 and 8) were the children most drawn into the story. My eldest son (7) was not turned off by it being about a girl (he is a seven year old boy after all) but that some of the details of the story were a little too much for him. It is written with many complex details that are well appreciated by my upper elementary age children (and their mother) but not so much the younger ones. I have been reading this aloud to all of the children, though the older girls could easily read it on their own.
We enjoyed discussions in the beginning of the story about the differences and similarities in the Native Americans of the story and from New England. We had recently studied Native Americans of the New England area related to our history studies of the Colonial era. I was really excited that my girls on their own (no “mom leading”) saw the similarities and differences in their homes, crops grown and traditions. The information sticks with them in a different way when learned through living books versus text books.
One of the neat features we enjoyed in this telling of Sacagawea’s story are links throughout. The links lead to various websites with further information, images or definitions. Sometimes the information is very general (growing pumpkins), other times quite specific to the story (the expedition meeting the Shoshone). We really like these added elements to the story. It makes me feel this is more educational with “proof of the facts” and the girls like the clarification of things that might have been foreign to them. It makes the whole experience much more full.
I don’t choose to share all of the links with the children as I read. Whenever we encounter something new to us or the link is to an interesting page, I share. Sometimes it will be before or after our reading that I share rather than in the midst of the story. The link above for Shoshone leads to a page recalling the encounter of the expedition with Cameahwait. At the point the link shows up in the story, Sacagawea is not even married to Charbonneau yet. I didn’t share this one — too much of a spoiler. I don’t recall any others sharing something prior to “when” the story is, so I don’t think this is much of a problem. If I had not been reading aloud and one of the girls came to this on their own, I don’t know if they would have been disappointed or not.
Sacagawea: Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know is available for Kindle in 4 chapter episodes ($.99 for part one, $1.49 each for the remaining 3) or as a complete novel ($4.97). Our family doesn’t own a Kindle, but we enjoy reading Kindle books right on the computer or our iPod Touch through the free Kindle apps.
The Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed Sacagawea and the Timeline Builder App for iPad. Be sure to check out all the reviews by clicking the graphic below.
