Tree Wagon

by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

Historical fiction about the the Henderson family pioneering west carrying seedling trees and bushes, bound for the Oregon Trail.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

(1907-1980) Mrs. Lampman grew up in Dallas, Oregon, granddaughter of pioneers in that region. She graduated from Oregon State and worked for many years in radio. Her first book was published in 1948, and she was most recognized for sensitive books about racial minorities, especially Native Americans.

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom gave me this book for Christmas this year. It was one of her favorites growing up. I wish I had read it when I was younger, just so I wouldn't have missed out for so long! It reminds me of so many other favorite childhood books, like the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Betsy-Tacy books, or Baby Island! They all have young female protagonists going on adventures, at least they seem like adventures to me, because they happened long ago, but to the girls it was just every day life (well, with the exception of Baby Island and getting marooned with a bunch of babies). Seenie is the main character, a 14 year old girl with older and younger siblings, and her family embarks on the Oregon Trail. She is so relatable as she experiences the trail, getting along with her family, her best friend, and all of her day dreams. I felt like I was reading about my own 14 year old self! What a sweet, timeless story. I love it. And I think I've turned into my mother.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up today at a church sale, primarily because there was a chorus of Burton voices in my head, all of them hissing "Lampman! And you haven't read this one!"

I thought it was a delightful book. Probably the best Oregon Trail book for kids I've ever read. There was botanizing and hardship, disobedience and repentance. There were famous walk-ons and helpful natives. The deaths conveniently befell non-primary characters. And the people were entirely believable and indeed lovable. The main character's flights of egotistical fancy were so recognizable to the twelve-year-old who lives in my head that she perked right up after lo, these many years of quietude.

It strikes me that this review does talk a lot about the voices in my head. Their hissing and giggling aside, it's a lovely book.

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful children's book ... I read it when I was like eleven or something and I loved it! It is about a group of pioneers on their way to Oregan ... specifically about a young girl named Asenath (like Joseph's Egyptian wife ... in the Bible). Her father has this crazy idea to cart trees and bushes across the Oregan Trail in giant wagons. He gives one bush to Asenath ... and it's her job to take care of it. The book follows Asenath's large family along the Trail and it's an adventureful journey! I'm not sure if the family was real but the story is based on the settling of Willamette Valley, where a lot of our fruits in the U.S. come from ... so it is really about how all of those fruit trees got there. It does contain a couple of other real-life pioneers in the story so maybe the whole family was real. This book is awesome! And I am not just saying that from what I remember when I was just a kid ... I reread it a year ago, and I enjoyed it all over again!

[Suziqoregon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My blog post about this book is at this link.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in the storyline and the real people it is based on but this was not my favorite Lampman book by a long shot. My dislike primarily was due to Asenath as the narrator. In one sense you could argue it is a coming of age book but for 1/2-3/4 of the book I couldn't get past how Asenath spent her time doing whatever she wanted with little attention or care to others. Perhaps it is meant to show interesting things on a westward trek but her attitude and tendency to daydream or pretend grated on me.

I didn't feel it had a positive portrayal of Native Americans, which may have been typical of the time, but I didn't like how it came across as I was already disliking many of the main characters.

I almost gave up on it in the first quarter but it improved about halfway through. The second half had better pacing and less jarring daydream scenes where you realize it is an unrealistic imagining in Asenath's head. It was a letdown as a whole.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child, I loved this classic historical novel of a girl on the Oregon Trail (with her father determined to bring a wagonfull of grafted fruit trees to Oregon); on reread now, I loved it again. Her overactive imagination's flights of fancy are great to watch; short snippets like "what if she could talk with the buffalo and lead them to safe places" are such a fun touch.

Meanwhile, the trees and her family's determination to take on this extra challenge atop the Oregon Trail itself are a fitting challenge to carry us down the trail. By now the trail has been well-established; wagon-ruts mean they can't get lost, they don't see any Indian attacks, and disease is just in the background. But, no one has yet brought grafted trees to Oregon!

[Tammie Groeneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a part of a book club when I was a kid and I loved it soooo much! I read it many times then, then I homeschooled my kids and read it to them, now I’m homeschooling my granddaughters and read it to them. It’s the BEST book about the Oregon Trail I’ve ever read. As a child it sparked a desire to see all the things Seenie in the book sees so when my kids were teens we went and saw the Oregon trail ruts etc. A joyful, exciting, hilarious book!
If you couple or with If You Traveled West In A Covered Wagon you have a great Oregon Trail curriculum.

[Doug Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was written from the perspective of a 12-year old and may have been aimed at that audience. I think it would still be good for a 12-year old today, but I enjoyed the story. I learned about the book because I visited the home in Iowa where she and her parents lived before setting out on the Oregon Trail. I bought it used because I don't believe it is still in print

[Sherri]

It was a very interesting old fashioned story of a little girl that follows her family across the country in a covered wagon. She is put in charge of the trees her family are taking across country. A good read.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

B-. fiction, children's fiction, grade 4, historical fiction, pionners, fruit trees, Oregon, Weekly Reader Book Club, srom stash, keep to give to James?

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for school... we all enjoyed it. I love books about covered wagons traveling west.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic!! my whole family was entertained ❤️

[Sumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asenath's family is travelling to Oregon, something Asenath had mixed emotions about. At first, she didn't want to leave her cat and kittens behind so her father, a nurseryman whose intent was to bring grafted fruit trees to Oregon, gave her a gooseberry bush as her very own to be a replacement for the cat. You can just imagine her enthusiasm about that at first.

Out of all the Oregon Trail books I read (and I read a lot of them growing up), this was perhaps one of my favorites because Asenath had a tendency to do the same thing that I did (and probably most other kids did), which is to let her imagination wander into wonderful what-if scenarios. She planned on staying behind with the cat and imagined the loud cries and tears of her family when they discovered way too late that she was left behind. During a difficult river crossing, she imagined being swept down river on the wagon far from family and friends, eventually coming to a stop hundreds of miles away and setting up housekeeping in a cave.

Even now, I think it's a good read for the tween child.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about life on the Oregon Trail - sadly, it is out of print and the random copies that appear for sale on-line are overpriced by collectors. This book really needs a DaCapo edition!

[Vikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's book probably about 4th - 5th grade. It is the story of how the Hockett and Luelling family traveled from Iowa to Oregon in 1847. The copyright date of the book is 1953. The story was told through the eyes of a twelve year old girl. I really liked this book.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite Oregon Trail book--it has it all: poison water, illness, moderately friendly Indians, famous landmarks, interesting food, and Dr. Whitman.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Westward America! There are so many books about traveling west by wagon, and for the most part, I enjoy the story, especially when there's something original, such as the tree starters.