SeaMan: The Dog Who Explored The West With Lewis & Clark

by Gail Langer Karwoski

A 150-pound Newfoundland dog teams with Lewis & Clark for an edge-of-your-seat middle grade adventure.

It is 1804, the year that Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery set out for their now-legendary exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. With no maps and little idea what wonders and dangers lie ahead, Seaman, a 150-pound Newfoundland dog, proves to be one of the most valuable members of the Corps.

In the face of starvation, Seaman catches and retrieves game, and his intimidating size and teeth protect the small band of explorers – from Native American raiders and even a ferocious grizzly bear! As the bond and mutual trust between Seaman and the Corp grows, they're confident that nothing—not even raging waters and towering mountains—will stop them from reaching the West Coast.

This thrilling fictional account of Lewis and Clark's expedition with the Corps of Discovery, Seaman, and eventually Sacagawea, is full of accurate details drawn from Lewis's own diary entries and will draw readers into one of the most exciting chapters in American history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Animals, Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Gail Langer Karwoski writes historical novels and nonfiction for kids in grades 3-9, as well as “green” picture books. Curiosity inspires her choice of topics and research helps her books grow. Her titles have won lots of awards and are enjoyed in classrooms and libraries around the country.

Recently, she has added books for grownups to her bibliography. She wrote a memoir for two remarkable gay friends, who succeeded, against the odds, in getting married in 1971, decades before gay marriage was legal in the U.S. It’s called The Wedding Heard ‘Round the World; America’s First Gay Marriage.

She is now at work on a cozy mystery series that features a group of funny and energetic older women who paint watercolors. Book One of the Watercolor Mysteries is A Brush With Murder. Book two is Skeleton in the Art Closet. Reading them is like going on an adventure with delightful, quirky friends.

When she isn’t clicking away on her keyboard, you can find this former teacher visiting schools and libraries. Gail’s lively programs inspire kids to read, discover, and write. She often talks with book clubs and about her lighthearted mysteries. She lives near Athens, Georgia, with her university-professor husband and extroverted cat. Gail has 2 grownup daughters and the cutest grandchildren on Planet Earth.

Reviews

[Bambi Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic living book that explores the Lewis and Clark expedition. My boys begged to read this one aloud and it did not disappoint. Best for ages 10-14.

[Sarah Bierle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great story! My mother read this book to me when I was about seven. When I was younger my favorite thing about this story was that it focused on Seaman and made the big dog so friendly and personable.

As I've gotten older and my reading and historical knowledge has increased, I still enjoy this account. I appreciate that it focuses on Seaman and his relationship with his human friends, but doesn't tell the story from Seaman's first person perspective. The information about the Corps of Discovery is excellent and definitely age appropriate for the target audience of younger readers. I appreciate the observations of Lewis and Clark's comradeship and leadership; the other historical characters - corps members and Native Americans - are also well portrayed.

Warning: the ending is thought (and maybe tear) provoking, but very good and it does conclude positively.

This is a great historical fiction and I still enjoy it. Highly recommended.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun audiobook that was engaging and informative.

[Ava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seaman is a very intriguing book about a courageous and loyal dog named Seaman as he travels with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery on a historical adventure. The author, Gail Langer Karwoski, used Lewis's diary own in order to write this book. Based on the journal entries, Seaman played a huge role in the success of the expedition. While the author used actual notes from Lewis's diary, she also used her own imagination to make the story more realistic. The book includes vivid details about the thrilling things this dog does for his owners' safety and well being. At first, Seaman is hesitant to venture aboard a boat that would travel up the Mississippi River into utter wilderness, but a strong bond eventually develops between Lewis and his trusty companion. Every day spent traveling with Seaman on the boat was memorable, including successful hunts as well as the days Lewis spent ill. Seaman proved to be an amazing prey retriever. For example, only a few days into the trip, a large group of squirrels traversed the mighty river in front of the boat! Seaman immediately jumped into the water and caught as many squirrels as the men could eat! I found this part of the book very interesting because I never would have imagined that squirrels would attempt to cross a river, let alone in large quantities. The Corps of Discovery encountered many Native Americans during their voyage, and Seaman helped the Corps of Discovery appear more impressive than they felt. His enormous size and intimidating jaws kept the Indians from raiding camp. These characteristics also saved Lewis from a colossal grizzly bear with an immense appetite. When the Corps of Discovery was forced to cross the Rocky Mountains, Seaman helped keep everyone's spirits up, even when they were suffering from cold and hunger. After crossing the never-ending fang-white mountains, their destination of the Pacific Ocean was just around the corner. When the Corps of Discovery reached the expanse of turquoise salt water, Seaman officially lived up to his name. He was named Seaman because his master knew he would get to experience the unforgiving sea. No one knows what happened to Seaman after the Corps of Discovery returned from their adventure, but in the book, he continued to explore the West with a member of the expedition, John Colter. I will always remember this book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys heroic dog stories.

[Ann Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book-makes me want another Newfoundland!!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great way to learn about the expedition and understand the dog’s contributions.

[Chloé Camille Wittenberg]

Read this to the boys I nanny, but it’s long so it counts towards my reading goal!

[Kevin Keating · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little redundant. A little tedious with how perfect Seaman was. My fault for reading a kids book. Not bad. Some interesting facts for kids.

[Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun perspective on the Lewis and Clark expedition. There were references throughout their records to the Newfoundland Dog that traveled with them. This book records the dogs exploits.

There is an interesting Google Lit Trip of the book found at http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleL...

[Holly Ferris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every since I was a kid, I had this picture book of the journey of Lewis and Clark with their loyal dog Seaman, since then I have fallen in love with that dog and their story. Reading this book was a very fun read and made the history really come to life!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the Lewis and Clark expedition. The children in my class love the excitement and pacing. I appreciate Seaman's historically accuracy while remaining gentle. It is fun to read about this dog even as an adult!

[Elizabeth Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fictional account of Lewis and Clark centered around the dog Seaman. A fast paced adventure.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids (4 and 7) loved this audiobook, which we listened to primarily in the car. It’s problematic in many ways in that it follows the traditional narrative of Lewis and Clark as heroes while glossing over their many flaws, the larger context around westward expansion and what that meant for the Native American populations (not to mention the language choices - “Indians” etc), slavery etc.

But the framing of the story around the dog made it a kid-friendly introduction and I used it as a jumping off point to discuss the expedition while having conversations and using additional materials to provide multiple perspectives.

Conversations around this book included: geography; history sources (primary vs secondary; oral vs written; non-fiction vs historical fiction; and how WHO tells the story can drastically change the narrative); slavery and Native Americans (we read multiple picture books about Sacajewa and York to strengthen the discussions, learned about the treatment of York following the expedition, talked about slavery in general. Also expanded knowledge of Native American tribes throughout the country and included further reading and discussion on modern Native American culture).

So - highly recommend as a jumping off point if you are willing to supplement a lot, but would not recommend as a standalone account of Lewis and Clark.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've been reading this book progressively to go along with our history unit on westward expansion. Upon finishing it today my nine year old (an avid dog lover) said she'd give it 778 stars :) It is a really, really well written book. It worked well for a read aloud, was very informative while being very interesting, and is based on many true facts. I may be less of a dog enthusiast than my 9 year old but I fell very much in love with Seaman reading this book. He comes alive in the writing and seems like a friend you would want along on an exploring trip.
There was a lot I didn't know about the Lewis & Clark Expedition, even living not far from their destination, particularly about the Corps of Discovery group and all who traveled with them. I really enjoyed learning about what the expedition was like and what they went through to map and better understand so much land west of what was considered the United States at the time. I also appreciated reading about Sacagawea's part in the expedition.

[Jill Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read much about Lewis and Clark's explorations and I figured reading about it with all the info included about the dog would be great. And for the most part, it was. But for once, I felt this book was too dog-centric. Two examples: 1) One of the men, George Shannon, gets separated from the group. Was he kidnapped by indians? Did he fall off a cliff and die? Did he mutiny? Eventually he is found and the book says something like "While George told his harrowing story, Seaman fell asleep" and we never find out what happened to George. Weird. 2) At the end of the expedition one of the explorers chooses not to return to St. Louis and asks for an early discharge to be able to stay out in the wild and work with some trappers they were traveling with. Request was granted, and Lewis realized that Seaman also wasn't suited to city life and should get to stay out in the wild, too. He gave the explorer the dog, and that was the end of the story. You never find out how the expedition ends for Lewis and Clark and the rest of the group. Weird.

[Victoria (TheMennomilistReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so boring but it as probably the most accurate kid story you could read about Lewis and Clark (which is why it was boring for my children). However, because of the fact that this story is traced so well from the journals of Lewis & Clark to try to entice the readers into their lives, it made it good too. The only thing is that the tales about the dog were pretty fictional, though also were from entries that were in the journals, since SeaMan was mentioned throughout them. The story is just a historical fictional story with lots of accuracy...does this make sense to you? I hope so. I am glad how it was told. It didn't belittle native Americans or York, a slave man mentioned throughout the story. I was afraid they'd be held in negative lights, but I was pleased at the equality shown to them in lines with how the journals talked about them too.

[Leah Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seaman, or is it Scannon? A fun debate over his name in the prologue. Tale of Lewis and Clark, Corps of Discovery, President Jefferson and their trip adventuring out west.

I’m struck by the strength of humans, the love of an animal, and the beauty within our vast country. Sacagawea is a sweetheart of the adventure. How did she do it w a baby? And goodness, what a tough and rewarding life.

Their trek over Rockies was my fave part because I read it as I was flying over them. Incredible survival.

[Jenny Shazaam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet story of the dog with historical gaps filled in nicely by imagination. Many of the events stay true to the journals of those who travelled with the Corps of Discovery. Unfortunate and outdated depiction of York, who the book deliberately does not name as a slave, then leading to other historically inaccurate claims all in order to dance around the fact that York was not a free man. Although it was a side bar, it made me grit my teeth just because it was unnecessary in the first place.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this aloud as part of Heart of Dakota’s Revival to Revolution curriculum. My son and I really enjoyed this book. Learning about the Lewis and Clark expedition through the eyes of a dog who actually accompanied them on the journey created an interesting point of view. I’m sure my son will remember a lot more about the expedition than he would have if he’d simply read about it from a history text.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not super impressed with the writing, I was very impressed with the research. Lewis & Clark is a fantastic story, and Karwoski does it justice. A great text for school at around the 4th grade level.

I should add that it's not that I think that the writing is bad, it's just very simple...as is appropriate when writing for school-aged children.

One gripe-- the one black character felt a bit minstrelsy at times, but not so bad as to cause me to think the book not worth recommending.

[Stephanie Sheaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this alongside my 5th grader as part of an assigned reading list. This chapter book describes the adventures of Lewis & Clark while also recounting what the journey may have been like for Seaman, the Newfoundland dog who accompanied them. Overall, it provided a good overview of this historical expedition across the land that Jefferson had acquired through the Louisiana Purchase. I especially appreciated that there was a Q&A at the end of the book, which helped outline fact vs fiction.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good fictionalization of Lewis and Clark’s journals, focusing on their dog but not from his perspective, for elementary-aged kids. It doesn’t discuss their sexual interactions with the native women and their difficulties with STDs, and talks on surface level about their relationship with tribes they encounter. It calls York a servant and not a slave. We listened to it on a drive around the area they explored and it was fun to hear about areas we were seeing.

[Sassafras Patterdale · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was pretty disappointing. It ends by saying that historical documents reveal Seaman's life ended very differently than the author wrote (she had him gifted away to a young explorer going back west) but it seems he likely returned to the states. also the casual racism in this book was rampant - moreso than another book about Seaman I recently read

[Ike Standifird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audi, narrated by: Charles Carroll. I have fantasized about this voyage since I was a young teen and this story gave me a view a little different than all I have read about it. Seaman was a remarkable dog and deserves a lot of credit for the success of this exploration. Well written and well read.

[Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read this for school. It was ok. Not as boring as I thought it would be, but sometimes I thought they just put the dog in the scene because the book was supposed to be about him. It didn’t add anything to the plot.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book! My boys fell in love with the dog Seaman and his adventures with Lewis and Clark. We did a long slow read of this that took 6 months but we built a relationship with Lewis and Clark and now they feel like old friends.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short version of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It didn’t hook me until several chapters in, but definitely enjoyed the focus on Seaman, an often overlooked but crucial member of the expedition. I’ll recommend this to my Newfy-loving kids.

[Allen Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seaman was a heartwarming tale of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, there was a dog that went on their trip, he was mentioned in their journals many times, but it was fiction. Conversations, and some of the events. It was a good history lesson.

[Tammy Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved this book! We'd read one that hit the highlights of Lewis, Clark and Sacagewea, but this helped them see the details and "live" the experience. I thought it was really good, too and the narration by Charles Carroll was great!

[Erin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful historical fiction, perfect for our unit on Lewis & Clark and westward expansion. We all loved it, and I got mocked (by the children) for choking up at the poignant ending.