Step back into the days of the Pioneers in this deftly created tale of history and fiction. The story of the Scottish Robertson family and their struggles and joys in making a home on a backwoods farm is woven throughout with cut-away drawings and chapters that give historical context. Illustrations impart a gentle soul to the family, while highlighting the various aspects of farming, finding a bee tree, making maple syrup and other aspects of pioneer living. 240 indexed pages, softcover.

Slaughtering hogs, making butter and telling time by the sun are all chronicled in the life of a pioneer family. PW said in a starred review: "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.)

Three aspects of this book help impart to children a memorable picture of pioneer life (minus its painful hardship):

1) It has a story to it—we follow the homesteading activities of the fictional Robertson family throughout the course of a year; 2) It is chock-full of drawings—they explain details of “living off the land” in the 1840s; 3) It offers a sampling of things to make and do—each project is uncomplicated and gives the kinesthetic learner a feel for pioneer life.

The Robertsons are never “in want” of something to do. They start the year with maple sugaring. Fields are cleared, potatoes are planted, cows start giving milk, and bees start making honey. Sheep are sheared, wool is spun, and cloth is woven. Summertime visits from nearby Indians, the cobbler, the peddler, and the itinerant preacher make the Robertsons’ life more interesting as do the girls’ trips to the general store and post office. Mr. Robertson and his boys go fishing and hunting. Most impressively, they build a two-story timber frame house. By autumn the family moves out of their log cabin and into their new house. They make ready for winter with a corn-husking social and by threshing wheat, drying apples, preserving meat, making candles, and splitting firewood. The story ends with Christmas traditions, bread baking, and a shadow puppet show. My favorite project is the punched-tin sconce made from pie plates. You might choose cheese making, cloth dyeing, candle dipping, stenciling, or the threading together of a jumping-jack puppet. Phew, what a busy family they are! 240 pages, softcover from Houghton Mifflin.

—Karen

http://www.christianbook.com/pioneer-sampler-daily-life-family-1840/barbara-greenwood/9780395883938/pd/883938

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product_review

__USERID__

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/ask_and_answer

• Books >> Children >> Fiction
• Books >> Fiction >> Children >> Historical
• Books >> Fiction >> Historical
• Children >> Books >> Fiction >> Historical
• Fiction >> Children >> Historical
• Fiction >> Historical
• Homeschool >> History & Government >> Historical Fiction
• Homeschool >> History & Government >> US History
• Start A New Christianbook.com Search

Check out our specialty shop for Homeschooling & Learning products!

I'm the author/artist and I want to review A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840.