Explorers, Trappers and Guides

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-This series entry offers a clearly written text wrapped around first-person accounts taken from journal entries of 18th- and 19th-century explorers. Peppered with quotes from well-known (Lewis & Clark, Kit Carson) as well as rarely encountered figures (Ross Cox, David Douglas), the book provides an overview of many westward adventures. Readers are sure to enjoy the excerpts from diaries that describe close encounters with rattlesnakes, Southwestern Indian convictions that white men ``...rode about on beasts which ate people,'' and explanations of why ants were preferred to grasshoppers in 19th-century taste tests. The thoughtful insights of Catherine (last name unknown), a Native American woman who accompanied her father on fur-trapping expeditions, also present a new voice to students. Period reproductions and modern photographs add to the text. While Explorers does not contain a glossary, Bentley's narrative skillfully defines unfamiliar words and terms throughout. Excellent chapter notes and a further reading list point students toward additional sources.-Anita Palladino, Finkelstein Memorial Library, Spring Valley, NY