A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark

by David A. Adler, Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

Overview

An introduction to the lives of Lewis and Clark and to the exploratory expedition they led from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean in the early nineteenth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823417353
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	01/10/2003
Series:	Picture Book Biography Series
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

David Abraham Adler (born April 10, 1947) is the author of nearly 200 books for children and young adults, most notably the Cam Jansen mystery series, the "Picture Book of..." series, and several acclaimed works about the Holocaust for young readers.

Adler was born in New York City, New York. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.

Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.

As of November 2008, Adler has three children and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

Ronald Himler is the illustrator of several successful picture books, including TRAIN TO SOMEWHERE, FLY AWAY HOME, and THE WALL. Mr. Himler studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and New York University. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Editorial Reviews

How often do we say to ourselves "Imagine if he hadn't met so and so...?" or "Imagine if such and such hadn't happened?" We can say this about the young Meriwether Lewis having the great luck of being taken into the employ of his neighbor, a certain gentleman called Thomas Jefferson. If this event had not taken place, one of the greatest expeditions in American history probably never would have happened. Jefferson was itching to find out what lay beyond what was then the western border of the United States. He also wanted to find a water route across the country to the Pacific Ocean. By the time the trip was organized and ready to go, Jefferson had concluded what was to be called the Louisiana Purchase, and the lands that the expedition were to travel through belonged to the United States. Meriwether Lewis and an officer whom he met in the army called Captain William Clark set off to fulfill Thomas Jefferson's dream, and they had one of the greatest adventures of all time. David Adler tells this extraordinary adventure story beautifully, simplifying the tale for a younger reader and yet not losing any of the drama or vital information. This is an excellent first biography for a younger reader, filled with beautiful paintings and appended with author notes, important dates, further reading, a selected biography, and recommended Web sites. Readers may want to look at further titles in the "Picture Book Biographies" series of which there are many interesting titles. 2003, Holiday House, Ages 4 to 8.
— Marya Jansen-Gruber

Children's Literature

K-Gr 2-The story of the Corps of Discovery has recently recaptured American interest, and Adler's version of the historical expedition captures the spirit of adventure for a young audience. The most important facts and dates of the expedition are related in a casual, interest-grabbing style. The watercolor paintings span two-page spreads and convey the grandeur and scope of the unexplored West. The text is well placed within the illustrations. Similar to Steven Kroll's Lewis & Clark: Explorers of the American West (Holiday, 1994), this book is on an even easier reading level. A worthy addition to the series, it will be used for reports as well as for general interest.-Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adler (A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe, p. 378, etc.) marks the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition with this informative biography for young readers. He traces the two-year journey from beginning to end and brings the narrative to life with excerpts from letters and journal entries. Occasionally, Adler interjects, placing events in context and pointing out their significance. For example, he writes that when the "Corps of Discovery" reached the Pacific Ocean in the winter of 1805, they took a vote to decide where to set up camp. "Among those who voted," he explains, "were Clark's slave, York, and Sacagawea, long before blacks and women voted in United States elections." His explanation surrounding the circumstances of Lewis's death, three years after journey's end, allows room for interpretation. Backmatter contains an author's note, time line, bibliography, and suggested Web sites. The opening map, unfortunately, creates confusion in an otherwise exemplary effort. All land east of the Mississippi is labeled "United States," individual states are not identified, and North America's entire eastern border is obscured. The land west of the river to the Rocky Mountains is ringed in purple, but not labeled as the former Louisiana Territory. In addition, 12 states are marked, not the 15 that eventually occupied the land. An explanation is provided later ("When the mission was planned, the land just west of the Mississippi River belonged to France. By the time it began, it belonged to the United States"), but it does little to bring the fuzzy geography into focus. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews