Lynch,
P. J. The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower: Or
John Howland’s Good Fortune. Candlewick Press 2015
np $17.99 ISBN 978-0-7636-6584-5 elem/ms Nonfiction
E-BN
John Howland was a boy who belonged to the separatist group we
call Puritans. He came to London with
his master to hire a ship to take them to the New World. They left in the night on the Mayflower, and the crew were
not delighted about these passengers.
The crossing was very rough. In
one storm John Howland was swept overboard.
He was able to hold on to a trailing rope and was rescued. Life onboard the ship is described, with the passengers
crowded between decks, wet and cold. Upon reaching
Cape Cod, it takes weeks to find a good place for the settlement and then to build at
least one house. Many die. By the end of winter only half of the group is left. Then it is time for the
Mayflower to return to England. Samoset
appears with Squanto and life becomes better. After the harvest,
the relief ship, the Fortune, arrives, bringing more settlers but no supplies.
John plans on going back on this ship but a girl helps him change his mind
and stay.
This title, though the size of a
picture book, is chock full of information about the voyage and the beginning
of the settlement. It will flesh out the
Thanksgiving story with details for grades 2-7.
Summary: As John travels on the Mayflower to the new world, he falls
overboard in a storm. Fortunately, he grabs a trailing
rope and is pulled aboard. He tells
about the trip, the First Thanksgiving, and life in the colony.
John Howland, Pilgrims, First Thanksgiving --Joan
Theal
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