Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 Historical Fiction Kids Will Love October 5, 2009
E. Avolio (Las Vegas, NV)
My children read this in our homeschool American history class. I originally planned to have them read a chapter each day but they sat down and just wanted to read it all. As each chapter ended they wanted to know what happened next. You have a winner when the kids can't put it down! Not only is this great reading practice for the young ones but, they learn about history at the same time and REMEMBER it! Kids remember what they enjoy. This is a great way to get out of the text book and have fun with learning.
Great book for an early book report January 19, 2009
M. Heiss (USA)
This book is great for book reports in kindergarten or first grade. It tells the story of a pioneer family making their way to free land in Kansas. They struggle together through the death of the mother and the first winter. Then the father leaves the three sons, ages 11, 8, and 3 -- he goes to look for new land. He instructs the boys to look after one another. Four months later, he sends them a letter and a map and asks them to come to him -- 150 miles away.
It's a great story of family love, courage, pioneering, and self-confidence for boys (or girls).
We chose the book because our first grader was born in Kansas, so we have a connection to the setting of the book. It was a good plot, plenty of action for illustrations.
For families who are careful about language, there is one usage of the exclamation "Lord" and some non-standard English in keeping with the plot.
The Ladybug's First Adventure in Reading June 12, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was the first chapter book I ever read by myself. It was a great adventure. It is about a family of black pioneers. I was sad in the beginning when I read that the Muldie boys' Mom had died on their way west. When they made their first friend out west, and learned to make a dugout, the story began to get exciting. My favorite part was when they made friends with a group of Native Americans. Later, the three Muldie boys traveled over a hundred miles on their own to find their father on his new homestead. I was thrilled to read on the back page that my first reading adventure was based on a true story. I would recommend this adventure to any new reader.
Adventure January 13, 2008
Dr. Joan E. Aitken (Kansas City, MO United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This novel is about an African American family who moves from Kentucky to Nicodemus, Kansas during the time of westward expansion. The father left his sons in Nicodemus, while he went on to find a place for them to settle, the children followed. The family has a positive encounter with Native Americans, who give them food during the harsh winter. The family experiences a prairie fire, wild animals. This easy-to-read yet adventurous story about boys of various ages would work well with the informational book about Nicodemus.
Wonderful! April 13, 2006
Learning All The Time (USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Another great offering from the "I Can Read Book" series. This book is also a Reading Rainbow Book, and it is a true story!
My kids loved the fact this amazing little story about black pioneers in 1878 is true. Considering that I used to have qualms leaving them alone in the house while I went to our mailbox at the end of our pipestem, they find it fascinating that three boys (8, 11, and 3) were left alone while their father went further west to find a good piece of land to settle. Then he sends a letter with a map and tells them to come find him 150 miles away - which they do. Simply amazing.
Straightforward writing, simple sentences, my 1st and 2nd graders loved it.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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