Sacagawea

by Lise Erdrich, Julie Buffalohead (Illustrator)

A biography of the Shoshone girl, Sacagawea, from age eleven when she was kidnapped by the Hitdatsa to the end of her journey with Lewis and Clark, plus speculation about her ...

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Native American, Childrens, Biography Memoir

picture book

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

a.k.a. Liselotte Erdrich
http://www.citypages.com/2008-02-06/c...
The Short Review, interview by Tania Hershman
http://www.theshortreview.com/reviews...
Coffee House Press, interview by Jonis Agee
http://www.coffeehousepress.org/night...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgur...
http://minnesotahistory.net/archives/...
http://www.startribune.com/entertainm...

Reviews

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations depicting a fascinating woman

The story of Sakagawea is known to most people in the USA. This story of how she came to travel with the Lewis and Clark expedition, is a little more detailed than most. We learn how she was captured by another tribe and taken to a place thousands of miles from her people. She was given in marriage to a Frenchman. Then In harsh and dangerous conditions she helped guide, feed and negotiate for the white men, all while carrying an infant on her back.

The paintings done to illustrate the story are absolutely gorgeous and add a dreamlike quality that illustrates how much such a story is obscured by the mists of time and history.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good account of Sacagawea's involvement in the Lewis and Clark expedition. It focuses on her life, has a timeline in the back and a map. Amazing story. I did not know she was captured when her village was under attack and taken from Idaho (roughly) to just outside of St. Louis. This is where she met the explorers. She was married to a French Canadian fur trapper. They both went on the expedition. They were gone over a year. Her oldest was born in this time. On their way to the Pacific Ocean she came to the place where she was captured and later found her tribe. Her brother had become the chief. Clark became very fond of her and her son (Clark called him "Pomp".) He offered to raise him (he wasn't quite 2). She wasn't ready to let him go. Later she sent Pomp to Clark for schooling. Incredible story.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

With many of my group living in areas where Sacagawea lived and traveled in her famous life, and wanting to share history with my group, this book was a welcome addition to today's line up for a read. She's always been at the top of my hero list, and I wanted to share my love and respect for this noble woman with my tribe.

It is amazing and dismaying to read once again of her key role in the success of the Corps of Discovery's mission, and yet how easily she slipped away, no one keeping enough of a hold on her history to the very end. History, for full disclosure has no less than three possible endings for her - one a death due to illness shortly after her return home, and the other two in other places, at great ages. Of course, perhaps her elusiveness was her own choice. But still. . .one wishes for the end of her brave and brilliant story.

My group enjoyed this one, eager and leaning in the whole time.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many people have heard of the 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition, the Corps of Discovery, but few know much about the pregnant, teenage American Indian who was crucial to the expedition’s success. Sacagawea tell the story of the sixteen-year old Shoshone girl who joined Lewis and Clark, along with her newborn son, “Pomp,” and acted as guide, translator, forager, and ambassador to the Shoshone tribe. Liselotte Erdrich’s book, which received a Carter G. Woodson Award, is filled with fascinating facts about Sacagawea, including her being kidnapped at age eleven by another tribe, the important contributions Sacagawea made to the Lewis and Clark expedition and the love the explorers had for little Pomp. Erdrich hypothesizes in an Afterword about the young woman’s life following the Louis and Clark Corps of Discovery. Julie Buffalohead’s intense, color-saturated paintings enrich Sacagawea, which Kirkus Reviews exclaimed had “the makings of a classic.”

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book about the tale of Sacagawea. I thought the illustrations were very unique and eye catching. I liked how the author incorporated her imagination of Sacagawea’s journey.
Purpose in the classroom
This would be a good book to read in a social studies unit. It discusses true historical facts about a brave Shoshone Indian girl who was captured by Hidatsa warriors. It talks about her expedition with famous explores Lewis and Clark. I would assign the book for third through fifth graders to read. There are large pictures however there are terms that may be unfamiliar to them. For example this book mentions different Native American tribes that have names that are hard to pronounce. However the picture does a good differentiating the tribes. The literary element I would focus on for this book is characterization. I would have the students create a character chart for Sacagawea. She faces many different challenges along her before and during her expedition so I would also have them study how the conflict affects Sacagawea’s character

[John Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading about Sacagawea and the Lewis and Clark expedition, and this book gave me many new insights into this incredible woman. This was the first book that I have read that included illustrations of Sacagawea, and I think that they greatly enhanced the text in this biography. I learned through this reading that Sacagawea eventually met up with her brother, who was then a chief of her people, and that once her son was old enough, she sent him to live and attend school with William Clark. In my future classroom, I will definitely have my students read this book, and others about Sacagawea, because it shows how much the Native Americans way of life was, and how much these people contributed to the understanding and development of the land.

[Wyatt Polt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative book about Sacagawea. She was part of the Shoshone until a group of poeple captured her. Then, she went on a journey with Lewis and Clark. She married someone on the way. At Beaver Head Creek, she met with her old group, the Shoshone. Then, she went on and saw the Pacific. After that, the crew went back and she left them at the Missouri River. They wanted to take her kid, but he was only 2. It talks about the journey and stuff. It is a good book. I would read this again any time because it is short and easy to read, but informative.

[Dean Fleer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative book about Sacagawea. She was a part of the Shoshone Indians until some other group captured her. She went with Lewis and Clark's expedition to the Pacific. Along the way she met back up with the Shoshone. She then got to stay at the Missouri River with Charboneau. This was a good book. It was easy to read and I liked it. I would recommend it to anybody looking for a short but informative book.

[Rebecca Ashley Teague · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography tells the story of Sacagawea and her journey with Louis and Clark. There were a lot of details included in this book to be a children's book, which was surprising, but nice to see. The book did a good job of presenting the information in a way a child would be able to understand. I would use this book in my classroom to teach my students about Sacagawea. I would also use this book to help students develop their comprehension skills.

[Hannah Gold-Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacagawea is an informational biography of Sacagawea, a Native American woman from the Shoshown tribe, who was kidnapped at the age of eleven and who went on to help lead the Lewis and Clark expedition. Sacagawea is a partial biography, detailing the span of time from her kidnapping through her expedition with Lewis and Clark, with an afterward about what her life was like after her expedition. Sacagawea incorporates both text and illustrations to depict her story.

[Abbi Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good tool to show the struggle behind one person's histroical significance. It showed how Sacagawea was pregant and had her baby in the woods. It also showed how she had to help the explorers and how her tribe was wiped out. This is more truthful than "Sacagawea helped her friends Lewis and Clark and they all lived happily ever after."

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written story depicting her young life, with enough detail to make it interesting, but short enough to be a read aloud.
Illustrations are paintings with broad strokes and lack detail, and includes an Afterword in which the author explains the various theories about her life after Lewis & Clark. Also includes a timeline and map.
A worthy choice for quality Native American collections!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fair, respectful biography in words and pictures of a figure who has been deeply misunderstood..Erdrich does a good job of moving Sacagawea's story forward, through the rough spots...she is given her rightful place in the company of heroes.

The Afterword and the map and chronology help put her story into perspective.

[Andrea Labonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and illustrations.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations enhance the story of Sacagawea, a version that taught me new information about this interesting Shoshone woman!

[Rani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacagawea the celebrated native explorer is always mentioned with Lewis and Clark. However what happened to her after the expedition is an interesting mystery.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a more realistic portrayal of Sacagawea's life as it was written by a member of the Turtle Mountain band of Ojibway Plains Indians and illustrated by someone of Ponca heritage.
There's so much we may never know about this young woman who translated for Lewis and Clark. It appears she and her husband remain close to them afterwards and eventually Sacagawea becomes a legend.

[Julie Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lise Erdrich does an excellent job of telling the story of the part Sacagawea played in the historical journey of Lewis and Clark. Julie Buffalohead makes the story come alive. I found this an excellent selection for my third grade students.

[Michelle Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a great telling of the story of Sacagawea. My kids really enjoyed it!

[Stephanie Parnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping for more detail but understand that their probably isn’t much of a written record of her. However, anything that tells her story is great.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacagawea is a children's picture book written by Liselotte Erdrich and illustrated by Julie Buffalohead. It puts Sacagawea's story into perspective, clearly representing her importance to the success of the Lewis and Clark Exploration of Discovery.

Sacagawea was a Lemhi Shoshone woman who, at age 16, met and helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition in achieving their chartered mission objectives by exploring the Louisiana Territory. Sacagawea traveled with the expedition thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, helping to establish cultural contacts with Native American populations and contributing to the expedition's knowledge of natural history in different regions.

Erdrich's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. It retells the story of the famous Shoshone woman who aided Lewis and Clark greatly. Backmatter includes a timeline and map of the expedition's route are included. Featuring earth tones, broad strokes and a grainy texture, Buffalohead's oil paintings impute more personality to Sacagawea.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. For the most part, the text adheres to what is known of Sacagawea – mainly from the journals of Lewis and Clark and only rarely speculates on Sacagawea's feelings. Unfortunately, when the narrative tries to extrapolate from other material, the writing sometimes strains for effect.

All in all, Sacagawea is an absorbing, interesting, and beautiful biographical picture book of Sacagawea.

[Maya]

This is the first telling of Sacagawea I have read that includes mention of York, the enslaved man bound to Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery. To learn more, read: "The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition" by

Every time I read this story, I am more struck by the strength, power, and utter will to survive embodied by Sacagawea.

[Nathan Ifft · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really informative biography on Sacagawea and her life. The painting illustrations fit perfectly with the book as it was able to capture the detailed environments in the story. This story was really well written with a lot of detail to give the reader a good understanding of the journey Sacagawea went on in her life.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spanish flows well in this translation of the life of Sacajawea. Creators are Native American and care is taken to show unbiased side of her life. Always love to read about Sacajawea since childhood, loved visiting Corps of Discovery sites with her in mind.

[Kevin Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the story of Sacagawea and this book does an amazing job at representing her importance to the success of the Lewis and Clark Exploration of Discovery. The story is illustrated with beautiful oil paintings to add to the history look of the story. Would recommend.

[Blanche Konieczka · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story was simple but not bad, suitable to read to a child. However, the illusions were terrible. Blurry and strange, with odd faces. I think some of the illustrations would have given me nightmares as a child.

[Rebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacagawea was awesome and she was only a teenager!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Art

The art is the best part of this book. Lots of speculation, but well worth the read. Leads to good conversation.