Benoit, Peter. The Jamestown Colony.

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Benoit, Peter.     The Jamestown Colony. Scholastic/Grolier  64p  $21.05 978-0-531-23058-9  2013  elm/ms    E-BNS    series: Cornerstones of Freedom      Nonfiction

Presenting the background events surrounding the founding of the first permanent British colony in North America, this title from the Cornerstones of Freedom series has an intimate feel about it.  The scene is set and earlier contacts with North America are summarized before the text explains why the Virginia Company was formed.  Many of the problems associated with founding a colony are detailed.  Most of the colonists were gentlemen looking for easy gold, and they were not prepared for the inadequacies of the chosen location, the difficult relations with the native peoples, and the squabbles among the leaders.

The struggles of the early years, before the settlement was finally firmly established, are described in detail.  The text discusses how, in the first few years, the settlement was decimated by disease,  famine, and periodic Indian attacks.  Finally, there were enough tradespeople to maintain the settlement, and the initial governmental structure provided the basis for the structure of the United States.

The book conveys this history through text, illustrations, photographs, maps and engravings.  Text blocks provide glimpses into some of the personalities involved, and suggest searching out primary sources.  There are one-paragraph biographies identifying important historical individuals, a timeline, a list of primary sources available from the publisher-sponsored web site, and a list of books for further information.  A glossary is included, and the index is very detailed.
  

This title provides a great deal of information in a compact text that is inviting for readers.  It would be enjoyable for the casual student, while at the same time providing sufficient detail for the student preparing a research report.

Jamestown Colony-History                                                                           --Joan Theal

 

Uncovers the Earliest English Colonies.

Huey, Lois Miner. Uncovers the Earliest English Colonies.
Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark 2010 64p 25.09 American Archeology(MC)
978-0-7614-4264-6 elm/ms E-BNes
Archaeology, when combined with a topic like early English colonies, comes alive! the student learns basics about digging for artifacts as well as interesting information about the triumphs and tragedies of these first colonies in America. The author has the qualifications, the lively writing style and the ability to engage children in learning about archaeology. Lois Miner Huey has combined these qualities to produce a book that will make painstaking digging up of artifacts sound exciting! Children will undoubtedly love the great lay-out which is characterized by dirt-like lettering. They learn about the lost colony of Roanoke, the not so well-known colony that settlers tried to establish in Popham, Maine, and the famous, surviving colony of Jamestown. The most fascinating information is about John Smith, who “brought a Native American back to life” by giving some alcohol to a man who’d fainted. Needless to say, Native Americans held Smith in great esteem after that miracle, and Jamestown grew to become the first surviving English colony. The author shows what can happen when care is not taken in preserving historical sites. Tragically, entire sections of sites have been destroyed, but many more have been uncovered, revealing fascinating information about early colonists and their Native American contacts. By reading this book, students see how archaeologists arrive at their conclusions. Perhaps the best example of this is the story about Raleigh Gilbert, an explorer who’d brought a window with him, and the discovery of this window shows that he was a leader since windows were hard to come by in those days. (p. 29) On page 32, we see that the colonists were engineers as well, due to their creation of an artificial channel through their fort for water usage. Books like this one make a less interesting topic come alive! The timeline and glossary at the end are valuable, and the list of sources to consult and the bibliography are extensive. Squaresky, Martha