174. Wild West by Mike Stotter

Wild West by Mike Stotter

Pages: 57
Ages: 7+
Finished: Sep.25, 2009
First Published: 1997
Genre: children, non-fiction, American history
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Native Americans had lived undisturbed throughout North and South America until the European discovery of the "New World" in 1492.

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to the 9yo as part of our history curriculum.

Summary: A very oversized book published by Kingfisher Books with profusive illustrations on every page, a main text in larger print and smaller text print sections that expound on the main text and/or go into further depth by illustrating the point with text and pictures. The book starts with the arrival of the white man on the Western frontier and hits upon some major historic events but mostly concentrates on daily living of the western indians, of life on the trail in a covered wagon, of ranchers and cowboys, of building a frontier home, town and forts. Then we enter the exciting days of outlaws and lawmen, stagecoach and train robberies. Finally the coming of the train, the finding of oil and the end of the West with a conclusion on the legend of the west being reborn with rodeos, books, TV Shows and movies.

Comments: A very enjoyable book to both read and look at. We spent our time reading the book slowly, doing about 4 pages a day, as there is so much information in both the text and illustrations and this is a book to be savoured. The 9yo loved it, but then I think most boys would enjoy this topic when given such a good presentation. Lots of interesting information, not just your typical stuff. I certainly learnt plenty myself as we read. The book is brief and doesn't go into a lot of depth so not what you would want if you're looking for a meaty book on the subject. However, just the thing for a brief introduction, or a quick dive into the topic. The text would be readable by the average fourth grader.


PS - Don't forget to enter my contest for Houston, We Have a Problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda! And please vote in my poll on the sidebar, for which book I should read in October!