How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark by Rosalyn Schanzer

How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark Reviews

• 
  Karen Witzler

  Excellent children's non-fiction picture book detailing the journey of Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery. Most of the text is taken from the actual account. The passages have been chosen with great care for the intended audience of ages 6 and older. They reveal just enough information to fuel further questions and study and provide a sense of the wonder and danger of the enterprise along with moments of humor. Sacajawea, York, and the faithful Newfoundland dog Seaman get their due in the tale. Rosalyn Shanzer's illustrations deliberately recall the style of Western, folk, and scientific illustration of the period. This is a National Geographic book and highly recommended.
• 
  Kathryn

  I finally read
  How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark and I enjoyed it. I really appreciated that it is comprised of primary source material (from the journals, letters, etc. of Lewis and Clark). I think it's very meaningful and educational to hear "in their own words" historical accounts and I felt that the selections here were well-chosen and illuminating* -- though not comprehensive for a picture book I felt it was appropriate, maybe a tad long, and certainly too long and advanced for the younger picture book set. Lots of discussion points here. The illustrations were engaging and provided added context for time and place.
  
  *Readers should note that these are Lewis and Clark's words and some of the terms are not "politically correct" today. Good talking points here. While L & C may not have regarded the Indians as equals, it is no small feat that the party established friendly relations with the various tribes they encountered.
• 
  Rachael

  Was looking for a good accurate-but-succinct Lewis & Clark history read aloud for my 5&6 year old boys and this was perfect! Beautiful illustrations to keep my 5 year old engaged, firsthand journal account excerpts were well chosen and really whet the appetite of my 6 year old. He is extremely impressed by their adventures (they are exciting to read!) and the boys particularly enjoyed the journal entry where they got chased by a grizzly bear lol. Again, the illustrations in this book are fantastic! Highly recommend as a little history primer.
• 
  Dolly

  With big, colorful photographs and actual quotes from the journals of the adventurers, this story brings the journey of Lewis and Clark across the Northwest U.S. to the Pacific Ocean. I thought the narrative was very readable and I loved that the actual diary entries were the bulk of the narrative.
  
  Although we were very familiar with the story, we all learned something new. For example, Meriweather Lewis brought along a 150-pound Newfoundland named Seaman.
  
  I also learned that William Clark brought his slave, York, on the expedition and he astonished some of the native american nations as they'd never seen a black man before. "By way of amusement he told them that he had once been a wild animal and to convince them he showed them feats of strength." (p. 18)
  
  This book was featured as one of the selections for the
  June 2015 Rivers and Lakes-themed reads for the
  Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
  
  I was a bit surprised when I read the author's bio info on the back cover - she lives in the same town as me! Who knew?
• 
  Linda

  Rosalyn Schanzer did her research, and the resulting National Georgraphic Society children's book depicting Lewis & Clark as they crossed the land on their way to the Pacific is well done. Schanzer's illustrations are loosely based on the style of the early artists of the west, and the story itself is told through the journals of the Corps of Discovery.
  
  I grew up with the Missouri River as my back yard and have long lived with the tales of Lewis & Clark. The book is a nice introduction to their journey.
• 
  Cheryl

  This book was terrific. It is told with well-chosen quotes from the actual journals of Lewis and Clark. The language doesn't come across as stuffy or old... it's very lively. Rosalyn Schanzer has used something of a folk style to illustrate it, making everything very clear and readable. An excellent read.
• 
  Matthew

  This is a great book. It is written for children but it is just as enjoyable if read as an adult. It is packed with lots of details both in terms of the illustrations and the text, which more often than not uses direct quotes from the journals of Lewis, Clark, or other members of the Corps of Discovery.
• 
  Dianna

  Really enjoyed this simplified account of the Lewis and Clark journey with actual quotes from the journals and beautiful illustrations. I would have liked perhaps a few more details and maps of where they were (there is a map at the end, but little mention of locations during the actual text). My seven-year-old also read this book and enjoyed the details.
• 
  Hannah Marshall

  I have always been a little interested in the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition so I knew a little information on the subject but this book taught me so much more. There is so many bits and pieces to the story that I had no idea about. This book presents the information in a really neat way as it isn't just in paragraph after paragraph but is mixed in with the pictures and displayed in different ways. This would make it much easier for a student to read. I would consider adding this to my future classroom library.
  
  Genre: biography
  Reading level: 5-6
• 
  M

  The thing that I enjoyed about this book was that took excerpts from the journals of Lewis and Clark and others on their expedition and quoted them. Sometimes the quotes were shortened to put them on the level of a children's book. The book was short, but it intrigued me and I'd like to read an adult book about the expedition.
• 
  Sandy

  This is an educational book that introduces a lot of facts about the historic Lewis & Clark expedition in the early 1800s. But, as beautiful as the illustrations of the book are, it sadly doesn't provide a coherent storyline. So, I found it difficult to read this book to my kids and get them excited about exactly how historic and significant this exploratory mission was at that time.
• 
  Darcy

  Not my favorite Lewis & Clark picture book for younger readers. There is a lot to look at in the illustrations, but younger children will quickly get bored with the long text. Still, it contains great information and I like the use of actual journal entries. Despite the colorful illustrations, I think it works better for children who are ready for chapter books.
• 
  Margaret Chind

  This book has made it on several living book lists including Sonlight Curriculum Kindergarten (2020) Exploring American History, Simply Classical Level 3, and more. We really enjoyed reading this after The Exploration of Lewis and Clark to bring illustrations and reiteration to some of the story.
• 
  Carie Lawrence

  This was a great book! My son and I read it for his history lessons in homeschool. It has journal entries made by Lewis and Clark about their travels, which I had never read before and found fascinating! The illustration art is remarkable.
• 
  Brandi

  Historically accurate and beautiful illustrations. I throughly enjoyed this book as one of the selections in our study on Lewis and Clark.
• 
  Heidi Kuipers

  Real journal excerpts, terrific illustrations
• 
  Rebecca

  A nice early introduction to the Lewis and Clark expedition for younger children. Interesting illustrations and simple facts. My son (5yo) loved the map.
• 
  Adam Calvert

  Great history of Lewis and Clark's travels across the country. This was a great read for our homeschool.
• 
  Jess Combs

  It was fun to read about Lewis & Clark in their own words but it was hard for my daughter to understand and she got confused sometimes which slowed our progress, but overall a good book!
• 
  Jenny

  Fascinating look at Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. The text is comprised mainly of actual journal entries made by Lewis and Clark as they journey west. Includes a number of interesting facts, such as that Sacagawea was given part of a rattlesnake's rattle in water to ingest when she was in labor, because it was believed that it would shorten the labor. Ten minutes later, she gave birth to a baby boy. The illustrations are done on canvas, and filled with lots of interesting details that also help to bring the text to life. Very well done. The text is a bit on the long side and not geared for the youngest readers, but would be a wonderful addition to a social studies classroom.
• 
  Maria Garcia

  Interest Level: Ages 7 to up
  Reading Level: Ages 8 to up
  Lexile Reading Level: AD890L
  Nominated for: Emphasis on Reading Award (in 1997)
  
  Historical war that portrays and illustrates the American settlement and Nation creation. The book presents accurate historical dates, names, and events in a clear, understandable and in a easy-to-remember way.
  It mentions some of the Native-American cultures and traditions, but it mainly focuses on one ethnic group, promoting certain stereotypes and racial misunderstandings.
  Recommended for advanced readers as support material on the matter.
• 
  Ebookwormy1

  Schanzer colorfully introduces the adventures and trials of the Lewis & Clark expedition for young elementary students. Older readers will find the text somewhat lacking in detail, but younger readers will discover the challenges of their expedition and some of the reasons it was an astonishing success. Vivid illustrations drawn in a the styles of the time are thoroughly researched and as enlightening as the text. An outstanding lower grammar work.