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Going West

Going West

By Jean Van Leeuwin & Pictures by Thomas B. Allen

Summary: This is a book about a family of five that go west: Papa, Mama, Hannah, Jake, and Rebecca. The family packs up everything they own into a wagon and begin to head west and it isn't easy for them. The trip is not only physically hard with the rain, sickness, heat, and mud, but it was also hard emotionally because they had to leave everything behind. They also had to a cross river to get to the land where they would begin to build a cabin. After the cabin was built they planted a garden and Papa made long trips into town to get the supplies the needed. 
But the weather would make living on the land difficult. After one hail storm, their new garden was completely destroyed. They would have Indians come to visit them and eat donuts with them. Hannah mentions how bad a terrible snow storm came though and they were snowed in by 6 feet of snow! They almost ran out of food in the long winter, but finally the snow began to melt and Papa was able to hunt again. By the time spring rolled around they were able to plant more crops and find some normalcy on the prairie. 

Review: This beautifully illustrated story portrays a young family that is traveling west to start a new home on the prairie. The story is told from a child's point of view which makes it great for reading to children. This is because they can relate more and see this historical event from a child's perspective: what it felt like and looked like to move from one place to another in that days and age. It will certainly make them grateful for cars and planes instead of wagons! 1st and 2nd graders could probably read this and enjoy it on their own. It is a longer picture book though so it may take them longer to read it. 


-The Green Eyed Reader 

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