Bertozzi, Nick Lewis and Clark.

Bertozzi, Nick Lewis and Clark.
First Second (macmillan) 2011 136p 16.99
978-0-59643-450-9 Graphic novel E-BN
A graphic novel about the Lewis and Clark expedition especially for reluctant readers who will enjoy while learning about history.
The graphic novel Lewis and Clark introduces the historical characters of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. These two men paired up to go on an exploratory discovery trip across the wilderness of America in 1804. Their goal was to find a route that would take them clear across the wilderness to the Pacific Coast.
Through the cartoons the reader will be able to share in the experience the team of Lewis & Clark participated in to trek across unknown country. They encountered Native Americans, some willing to be friends others who were hostile. They saw herds of Buffalos. They travels through rivers, creeks, mountains, desserts and plains. They lost a few men along the way and took in travelers going their way. They met a Shoshone Indian girl by the name of Sacagawea. This young woman would be instrumental in helping Lewis and Clark achieve the goal of reaching the Pacific coast.
Merriweather Lewis was not a patient man and more often than not he was impatient and stern, however he kept his goal as his focus to keep himself and his team always on task. Clark was calmer and able to keep his head in difficult situations.
The novel is quite detailed and although it is only in black and white you can almost imagine the majestic views of the wonders they saw as they discovered each part of the trail. You also get a glimpse the trials and tribulations of men trying to get along as they walk towards the unknown. They faced personality clashes, fights, arguments, sickness, fear, anxiety, agitation, panic, impatience and sometimes disloyalty. The novel spares non of this so that the reader actually feels what might have been the feelings of uncertainty as they explored a territory unknown to any white man from the east coast. Diaz, Magna