Rhode Island

Children's Literature

The smallest of the fifty states, Rhode Island has a rich and exciting history. Founded as a refuge for people fleeing religious persecution both in England and in some of the less tolerant colonies, Rhode Island gained a reputation as a bastion of compassion. People such as Roger Williams strove to achieve a balance of toleration in colonial Rhode Island. Sadly, that toleration did not effectively extend to the Native American people who preceded the European colonialists in the region but were subsequently destroyed. Over time, colonial Rhode Island became a prosperous part of the English Empire and, subsequently, the United States. The fascinating story of the creation, growth, and development of this area & its residents is the subject of Robin Doak's Rhode Island. Written as part of the illustrated "Life in the Thirteen Colonies" series, Doak's book follows a format typical of that set. The author begins her literary account with information about Native American residents and early settlers. Attention is then paid to colonial governance, growth, and social history. The final chapters of this informative work encompass the American Revolution and the reluctant passage of the U.S. Constitution by Rhode Islanders. Taken as a whole, this book does come up to the reasonably high standards of this series. It serves as a useful tool of political and social history aimed at a state that often is given short shrift due to its small size. 2004, Children's Press, Ages 10 to 14.
—Greg M. Romaneck