The adventurous life of Myles Standish and the amazing-but-true survival story of the Plymouth Colony

Instead of a standard biography, Harness chronicles the history of the Plymouth Pilgrims from their troubles in England to their first years in North America, with the focus on Standish. Separating documented history from speculation, the narrative explains religious movements, introduces key figures, and gives a balanced account of Pilgrim-Indian relationships. In contrast to many Pilgrim histories, the tone is casual (e.g., Without Squanto the translator, these English wouldn't be able to go around getting cozy with everybody, messing up the balance of power. ) Harness' familiar detailed pictures appear here as prints. An illustrated time line of world events runs along the bottom of pages, but it is not synchronized with events in the narrative, and the murky maps are not helpful. There are no notes or citations, but a bibliography of resources is appended, along with lists of Mayflower passengers, recommended Web sites and places to visit. A reader-friendly approach to history. --Linda Perkins Copyright 2006 Booklist

Gr 5-8-Harness combines a breezy tone with exhaustively researched texts to produce not only exemplary life stories, but also snapshots of the periods. As the author makes amply clear, Standish was a hotheaded but effective secretary of defense for the struggling Plymouth Colony. His willingness to make a show of force and to invest both time and effort (his own and others') into constructing fortresses probably saved the fledgling colony from untimely destruction. The steps Whitman took to become a missionary, her historic journey to Oregon country, her years at the Waiilatpu Mission, and her tragic death at age 39 are all covered. The narrative is much enhanced by the frequent use of excerpts from her letters home. In each book, a running time line lists significant events taking place in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The texts incorporate information on the state of technology and how that impacted the journeys each individual made, the force and impact of religious beliefs and worldviews, and significant societal beliefs and mores. Black-and-white line illustrations extend the texts beautifully, as do the maps. The bibliographies and indexes are excellent. While readers may not pick these titles up on their own, Harness's style (though a bit arch in tone at times) will hold their interest. Much preferable to most standard series titles, such as Louis Sabin's Narcissa Whitman: Brave Pioneer (Troll, 1997), these books have a place in most school collections.-Ann Welton, Helen B. Stafford Elementary, Tacoma, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Thorough, informative, and chatty, these biographies bring readers the background of the events covered, along with a sense of immediacy as we're thrust into the perils of the Oregon Trail or into the Plymouth Colony wilderness. Extensive timelines on each page are useful, although slightly distracting. Illustrations are comprehensive, despite some details being muddy. Whitman has a chronology. Reading list. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-But-True Survival Story of the Plymouth Colony and The Tragic Tale of Narcissa Whitman and a Faithful History of the Oregon Trail.] (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Gr 5-8 Harness combines a breezy tone with exhaustively researched texts to produce not only exemplary life stories, but also snapshots of the periods. As the author makes amply clear, Standish was a hotheaded but effective secretary of defense for the struggling Plymouth Colony. His willingness to make a show of force and to invest both time and effort (his own and others') into constructing fortresses probably saved the fledgling colony from untimely destruction. The steps Whitman took to become a missionary, her historic journey to Oregon country, her years at the Waiilatpu Mission, and her tragic death at age 39 are all covered. The narrative is much enhanced by the frequent use of excerpts from her letters home. In each book, a running time line lists significant events taking place in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The texts incorporate information on the state of technology and how that impacted the journeys each individual made, the force and impact of religious beliefs and worldviews, and significant societal beliefs and mores. Black-and-white line illustrations extend the texts beautifully, as do the maps. The bibliographies and indexes are excellent. While readers may not pick these titles up on their own, Harness's style (though a bit arch in tone at times) will hold their interest. Much preferable to most standard series titles, such as Louis Sabin's Narcissa Whitman: Brave Pioneer (Troll, 1997), these books have a place in most school collections. Ann Welton, Helen B. Stafford Elementary, Tacoma, WA