In the Southern Colonies

Children's Literature - Margarette Reid

This book, one in the series "How We Lived," presents the colonial experience in the South from its tenuous beginnings to the establishment of a new and independent nation. Six titled chapters provide details of the early struggle, home life, childhood days, religious faith, harsh realities, and entertainments enjoyed. Direct quotations from eyewitnesses highlight the title page of each chapter. As today's children read the account of a school day on a Virginia plantation in the tutor's own words, they can appreciate the changes that have taken place in the lives of children. As they read about games played in colonial times, games that they still play, they can relate to those children who lived in the early days of our country's history. Drawings are interspersed with photographs showing costumed people reenacting daily activities in reconstructed settings where colonists once lived. Colorful maps, side-box features, chronologies, and ways to extend knowledge and understanding of the times and places through field trips are included. Bibliography, glossary and index make the book user-friendly. This book could be a springboard to a rich social studies project in elementary grades.