School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-These books include maps, full-color illustrations or black-and-white reproductions on every page, sidebars, quotes from journals and other writings, and short biographies of relevant people. Missions covers the time period from the 1600s to 1830s and the settlement by the Spanish of Mexico and the parts of North America that are now the states of New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and California. Because the Spanish did not have enough people to settle in the New World, they sent priests to try to convert the Indians to Christianity and a European way of life. The book describes the various types of mission communities and makes comparisons among them. Washington explains the causes of the War of 1812 and the various political positions in favor of and against it. The author emphasizes the importance of the war in establishing the United States as a manufacturing and world power. The purchase of the Louisiana Territory from the French in 1803 and the Lewis and Clark expedition provide the backdrop for Mountain Men. Comparable books on these topics for the same age group include Susan E. Haberle's The War of 1812 (Capstone, 2003), Andrew Santella's The War of 1812 (2001; o.p.) and Mountain Men (2003, both Children's Press), and Kieran Doherty's Explorers, Missionaries, and Trappers (Oliver, 2000). All three of these titles would be useful supplements to the study of United States history.-Ann Joslin, Fort LeBoef School District, Waterford, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.