Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West
Illustrator: Richard Williams
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 5 to 8
Holiday House, 1994 ISBN: 978-0823410347
The United was still a young country in 1803 and its President, Thomas Jefferson, wanted to expand its borders. In an act of foresight, Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte of France. This enormous piece of land spread west from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. Being a man who needed to know about places and people, Jefferson decided that this new land should be charted and explored. Soon his young secretary Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lewis?s former commanding officer in the army William Clark were leading an expedition which was called the Corps of Discovery. Its task was to find ways to open up the fur trade, find a water route across the continent, and to study animals, plants and the Indian peoples it encountered on its travels.
Steven Kroll tells this incredible adventure story in such a way that it is fresh and exciting. We marvel at the bravery of the men who undertook this journey, and rejoice at their successes. The story of the extraordinary journey is beautifully illustrated with oil paintings which give the story depth and vibrancy, both bringing it to life and providing information. The book is appended with an afterword which describes what happened to the people who participated in the journey once it was over, a list of important dates, and an index.
