School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-This accessible, accurate biography provides brief contextual information about the tribes in which Sacagawea lived, from her own people, the Shoshone, to her captors, the Minnetaree and Mandan. Since almost all that is known about her is from the journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition, this work necessarily focuses on that event and her part in it. Unfortunately, the black-and-white illustrations are dreadful. The cover borders on caricature and does nothing to invite interest or non-prejudicial awareness. The sketches of Lewis and Clark within the text are equally bad. Only those that detail specific material, such as a Shoshone tipi, Mandan lodge, or travois pass muster as good, informative, and text-enhancing. Another problem with the book is the lack of source information. David A. Adler's A Picture Book of Sacagawea (Holiday, 2000) is for younger students and Judith St. George's Sacagawea (Putnam, 1997), for older readers. Wait for a better choice to fill the gap.-Nancy Collins-Warner, Neill Public Library, Pullman, WA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.