Explore the Wild West!

August 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-Despite the somewhat busy, black-and-white layout, this book is entertaining and informative. Seven chapters cover the lay of the land, gold-rush miners, moving west, pioneer life, frontier towns, Native people, and cowboys. Highlighted terms and a "words to know" section on each page will appeal to teachers and other educators. Cartoon illustrations, though rather simple, are plentiful and fun. Crafts and activities range from assignmentlike fare (creating a Lewis and Clark map) to cooking "spotted pup pudding" and creating cowboy chaps from grocery bags. Adult supervision is recommended for anything involving a stove, cutting, or the Internet. Brief biographies highlight a wide range of multicultural figures, including Annie Oakley, Crazy Horse, cowboy Bill Pickett, mountaineer James Beckwourth, and "Stagecoach Mary." Overall, this is a useful and engaging introductory overview of the Wild West.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2012
Grades 2-4 Part teacher's manual, part student workbook, this resource invites early elementary kids to learn about the Wild West through hands-on projects and activities. Chapters are arranged loosely in chronological order, and offer high-interest text, cartoony illustrations, and relevant projects. No aspect of the Old West is neglected, and particular topics include geography, Native American cultures, miners and boomtowns, cowboys and cattle trails, and pioneer life. Yasuda shows off her Montessori training in conceiving the projects, most of whichsetting up a station to pan for gold, for example, and building a sod houseare perfectly suited to student self-direction and appeal especially to kinesthetic and spatial capacities. The book is also extremely teacher-friendly, thanks to clear directions and engaging images, and the materials for the projects are readily available in most classrooms.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)