School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8Greenwood introduces the fictional Robertsons and, through the family's activities, describes the details of everyday life on the frontier circa 1840. This mix of story and information makes the book a natural for use in whole-language classrooms. Report writers in traditional programs will find useful facts and diagrams tucked in between the fictional segments. Food, clothing, schooling, social life, household equipment, building, and more are covered in the wide-ranging text. The detailed black-and-white drawings are both decorative and informative. Edwin Tunis covers a wider range of topics in Frontier Living (Crowell, 1976) for a slightly older audience. For younger readers, Raymond Bial's Frontier Home (Houghton, 1993) has a narrower focus; his full-color photographs of actual (and reproduced) artifacts add interest. Where pioneer living is part of the curriculum and for readers fascinated by the time period, Greenwood's title will be a welcome and useful addition.Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Laura Ingalls Wilder meets David Macaulay in this thoroughly engaging book. Greenwood combines a fictional account of a hardworking settler family with detailed descriptions of nearly every aspect of pioneer life, from the working of a gristmill to making cheese, dyeing wool, sugaring off and building a house. Recipes and directions for do-it-yourself activities (candle-dipping, making ink, playing a Native American game called Knucklebones, etc.) help young readers get a real feel for the fabric of life "in the olden days." (They will also endear the book to teachers looking for ideas for those units on the pioneer experience.) Greenwood is a talented writer and her narrative passages about the family, brief as they are, convey a lively sense of character and place. Well-researched and unusually accessible, and generously illustrated with Collins's black-and-white sketches, the book contains something for every level of interest and ability. As a resource, it's a must-have for anyone with even the remotest interest in this period of American history. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Greenwood blends fiction and fact to provide the reader with a full picture of mid-nineteenth-century pioneer life. A narrative begins each section and is followed by information about the work the fictitious Robertson family members are engaged in and a project for the reader to try. The illustrations are clear and useful. Glos., ind. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. Combining fact and fiction effectively, this appealing book offers a window into the lives of pioneers. First published in Canada as A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840, it has just as much to offer American children as their Canadian counterparts. Greenwood offers fictional episodes about one family, the Robertsons, but between chapters about their adventures' there are sections giving background information about the period. For instance, in one story Meg goes to the general store to buy ribbons but decides to spend her money to help a neighbor who can't afford the postage due on a letter. The next few pages show what might be found at a village store; explain how to make a balance scale from yogurt containers and a coat hanger; discuss the post office and letter writing during pioneer days (including the information that the U.S. began using postage stamps in 1847); and give a recipe for homemade ink. Profusely illustrated with attractive pencil drawings, this book will prove a valuable resource for children studying the period. Carolyn Phelan
