Journeys in Time : A New Atlas of American History

Rating:
Summary: Using maps of journeys to tell the history of America
Review: "Journeys in Time: A New Atlas of American History" is quite an interesting book. It maps twenty journeys that have shaped the history of the United States, from "How the Anishinabe Found a New Home (Long Ago)" to "Leaving Vietnam (1976)." The idea here is that maps are more than just geography and understanding the shape of the land, because you can trace a route and see a story in the spaces where it unfolded. Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley aptly characterize America's history as the story of a people on the move. Consequently, "Journeys in Time," with its illustrations by Rodica Prato, is a combination atlas and storybook.

Of course, all of the stories in this book are true. While you will find some of the more famous journeys in American history, such as the voyages of Christopher Columbus and the "Mayflower," and the Lewis & Clark expedition, the chief charm of this volume are the lesser known trips, such as "Big Joe Bailey Takes the Underground Railroad," "John Muir Walks America," and "Louis Armstrong Heads North." As you can see, there is an attempt to personalize these trips. So the story of the California Gold Rush is told from the perspective of Dame Shirley, the Civil War through the travels of Union quartermaster Orlando French, cowboy Baylis John Fletcher on a cattle drive, and nervous immigrant Rosa Cristoforo.

This is a pretty unique volume that can be both informative and inspirational. The latter would be true because you can easily see young students creating their own maps to tell their own stories about people coming to or traveling across America. Leacock and Buckley have also co-authored a companion volume, "Places in Time," illustrated by Randy Jones that performs a similar function by looking at particular places. While it is also an interesting combination atlas and storybook, "Journeys in Time" is the better of the pair.

Rating:
Summary: Using maps of journeys to tell the history of America
Review: "Journeys in Time: A New Atlas of American History" is quite an interesting book. It maps twenty journeys that have shaped the history of the United States, from "How the Anishinabe Found a New Home (Long Ago)" to "Leaving Vietnam (1976)." The idea here is that maps are more than just geography and understanding the shape of the land, because you can trace a route and see a story in the spaces where it unfolded. Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley aptly characterize America's history as the story of a people on the move. Consequently, "Journeys in Time," with its illustrations by Rodica Prato, is a combination atlas and storybook.

Of course, all of the stories in this book are true. While you will find some of the more famous journeys in American history, such as the voyages of Christopher Columbus and the "Mayflower," and the Lewis & Clark expedition, the chief charm of this volume are the lesser known trips, such as "Big Joe Bailey Takes the Underground Railroad," "John Muir Walks America," and "Louis Armstrong Heads North." As you can see, there is an attempt to personalize these trips. So the story of the California Gold Rush is told from the perspective of Dame Shirley, the Civil War through the travels of Union quartermaster Orlando French, cowboy Baylis John Fletcher on a cattle drive, and nervous immigrant Rosa Cristoforo.

This is a pretty unique volume that can be both informative and inspirational. The latter would be true because you can easily see young students creating their own maps to tell their own stories about people coming to or traveling across America. Leacock and Buckley have also co-authored a companion volume, "Places in Time," illustrated by Randy Jones that performs a similar function by looking at particular places. While it is also an interesting combination atlas and storybook, "Journeys in Time" is the better of the pair.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful historical teaching aid for middle schoolers
Review: What a wonderful book! You can help your middle schooler envision treks of historic interest with these twenty two-page spreads. Pictures use up most of the space and depict people, including children, on the move; some cross-sections are employed. Text describes the journey, and sometimes stories are personalized through the experience of a child. Numbered entries within the text point out events or places, and a sidebar lists interesting facts. Very nicely done and a terrific aid for visual learners.

Presented in chronological order, the journeys are: a Native American creation story; Columbus's voyage, 1492 AD; the founding of New Mexico, 1598; Mayflower voyage, 1620; Ben Franklin's travel from Boston to Philadelphia, 1723; a slave ship, 1735; Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road; bringing Ticonderoga's guns to Boston, 1775; the Lewis and Clark Trail, 1804; California 49-ers' trip around Cape Horn, 1849; the Sante Fe Trail, 1852; the underground railroad, 1856; a Civil War regiment's movements, 1862; John Muir's travels in 1867; a cattle drive, 1879; westward immigration, 1884; a cross-country airplane trip, 1911; Louis Armstrong's train ride from New Orleans to Chicago, 1922; a migrant worker's journey, 1959; a Vietnamese refugee, 1976. Notes and an index are included.

Very nicely done. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful historical teaching aid for middle schoolers
Review: What a wonderful book! You can help your middle schooler envision treks of historic interest with these twenty two-page spreads. Pictures use up most of the space and depict people, including children, on the move; some cross-sections are employed. Text describes the journey, and sometimes stories are personalized through the experience of a child. Numbered entries within the text point out events or places, and a sidebar lists interesting facts. Very nicely done and a terrific aid for visual learners.

Presented in chronological order, the journeys are: a Native American creation story; Columbus's voyage, 1492 AD; the founding of New Mexico, 1598; Mayflower voyage, 1620; Ben Franklin's travel from Boston to Philadelphia, 1723; a slave ship, 1735; Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road; bringing Ticonderoga's guns to Boston, 1775; the Lewis and Clark Trail, 1804; California 49-ers' trip around Cape Horn, 1849; the Sante Fe Trail, 1852; the underground railroad, 1856; a Civil War regiment's movements, 1862; John Muir's travels in 1867; a cattle drive, 1879; westward immigration, 1884; a cross-country airplane trip, 1911; Louis Armstrong's train ride from New Orleans to Chicago, 1922; a migrant worker's journey, 1959; a Vietnamese refugee, 1976. Notes and an index are included.

Very nicely done. Highly recommended.