What do you think?
Rate this book
Frontier Living: An Illustrated Guide To Pioneer Life In America
With more than 200 illustrations by the author.
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
5 people are currently reading
545 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
xx-dnf-skim-reference
October 3, 2019I did not read every word. It is very readable, but there was too much history (compared to the Guide as promised in the title) in it for me. The illustrations were great, esp. of the actually tools and gear. Now, I wouldn't necessarily object to all that text of Westward Ho, but too much of it was written in such a way that the reader will absolutely need other sources for confirmation.
For example, there's no syntactical markers in the discussions of "savage Indians" and "witches" to show that the author is expressing the perspective of the settler/ pioneer, not of himself. And many times there was reference to "people thought/ did" something when what was actually meant was "many but not all adult white men in this particular place and time thought/ did" it.
There is an index, but no bibliography, timeline, glossary, or other helpful appendix. All of those were sorely missed: not just on principle, but also because I really needed them to understand fully what I was supposed to be learning.
It's got some appeal, I think, to fans of the "Little House" books by Wilder, and some to fans of "My Side of the Mountain." And if you do like the actual instructions for building worm fences and using different kinds of plows, look to the books of Eric Sloane, for example A Museum of Early American Tools.
If I rated books that I don't read completely, I'd give it three stars with a caveat. Look it over carefully before using it with your family or students.
For example, there's no syntactical markers in the discussions of "savage Indians" and "witches" to show that the author is expressing the perspective of the settler/ pioneer, not of himself. And many times there was reference to "people thought/ did" something when what was actually meant was "many but not all adult white men in this particular place and time thought/ did" it.
There is an index, but no bibliography, timeline, glossary, or other helpful appendix. All of those were sorely missed: not just on principle, but also because I really needed them to understand fully what I was supposed to be learning.
It's got some appeal, I think, to fans of the "Little House" books by Wilder, and some to fans of "My Side of the Mountain." And if you do like the actual instructions for building worm fences and using different kinds of plows, look to the books of Eric Sloane, for example A Museum of Early American Tools.
If I rated books that I don't read completely, I'd give it three stars with a caveat. Look it over carefully before using it with your family or students.
September 25, 2015
Well, for a picture book just over 160 pages, this book sure was long! I read only about 15-20 pages per hour because there was SO MUCH on every page.
Frontier living is a whole bunch of small sections describing so many little details of life on the Frontier, mostly between the mid-1700s and the mid-1800s. The author describes clothing, household items, lifestyle of various types of frontier people, etc.
Anyway, the book was pretty good and quite interesting. The sketches they had on nearly every page were fantastic, and they helped the author's explanations and descriptions of different objects or techniques.
One thing I didn't like was the bevy of inaccuracies. Most of them were somewhat admitted. The other often says things like, 'no one ever mentions such and such feature, but it must have had it because it would make sense to me." I also found some inaccuracies in the chapter they had on the Mormon pioneers. The author didn't display any prejudice whatsoever, but it was clear that he was misinformed and took what he thought as fact. I found similar things in other chapters too. It makes it hard for me to trust other interesting things I learned from the book. I just wish history writers wouldn't write hearsay and guesses to their works. Maybe that's the mathematician in me, but it just bugs me when they put speculation and guess as solid fact.
Frontier living is a whole bunch of small sections describing so many little details of life on the Frontier, mostly between the mid-1700s and the mid-1800s. The author describes clothing, household items, lifestyle of various types of frontier people, etc.
Anyway, the book was pretty good and quite interesting. The sketches they had on nearly every page were fantastic, and they helped the author's explanations and descriptions of different objects or techniques.
One thing I didn't like was the bevy of inaccuracies. Most of them were somewhat admitted. The other often says things like, 'no one ever mentions such and such feature, but it must have had it because it would make sense to me." I also found some inaccuracies in the chapter they had on the Mormon pioneers. The author didn't display any prejudice whatsoever, but it was clear that he was misinformed and took what he thought as fact. I found similar things in other chapters too. It makes it hard for me to trust other interesting things I learned from the book. I just wish history writers wouldn't write hearsay and guesses to their works. Maybe that's the mathematician in me, but it just bugs me when they put speculation and guess as solid fact.
September 27, 2019
Copious illustrations by the author of common implements in frontier usage and no sugarcoating make this a jewel of historical documentation.
October 9, 2019
Clear and informative with great illustrations. Valuable for teaching the details that help to make sense of historical fiction set in the period.
January 28, 2014
Early American history is populated by giants, men and women of great deeds whose stories have grown with hundreds of years of retelling. Every young child in our country learns about John Smith, Pocahontas, Squanto, Daniel Boone, and the like, but for those who want to know how the regular folk lived in America’s early days, there is Frontier Living. This thick and meticulously illustrated reference by Edwin Tunis describes life on the edge of civilization, and the unique culture that was born from these hardy pioneers. Tunis begins with the first Europeans to set up their homes on the east coast of the New World. He describes how they cleared land, planted crops, and erected crude dwellings for themselves. As more and more folks settled, towns grew up, with roads and restaurants, and the frontier moved westward. Tunis and follows this expansion across the continent until the whole of America was settled. He describes how settlers adapted to the mountains, prairies, and deserts they found along the way. This three hundred year journey is described not through the eyes of great historical figures, but the common homesteaders and their families. The illustrations are detailed pencil drawings of houses, wagons, boats, mills, farming implements, tools, clothes, baskets, and hundreds of other everyday things the pioneers made for themselves. Leafing through this book gives the reader a true appreciation for the ingenuity these people needed to survive and thrive on the American frontier.
This book is over 150 pages, and you’re not likely to find an elementary-aged student with the dedication to read it cover to cover. But it is still an invaluable resource for any classroom. Fourth and fifth graders would enjoy perusing its beautiful illustrations and reading about whichever bits catch their attention. Various sections would be appropriate for read-alouds in classrooms studying early American history. Teachers in every state can use this book when studying about their state’s early history. Each part our country was the frontier at some point in our history, so every region from the east coast to the Yukon territory gets a chapter. Frontier Living is a valuable window into the everyday lives of the resilient, hard-working people who built our culture of independence and inventiveness, and set America on the road to what it is today.
This book is over 150 pages, and you’re not likely to find an elementary-aged student with the dedication to read it cover to cover. But it is still an invaluable resource for any classroom. Fourth and fifth graders would enjoy perusing its beautiful illustrations and reading about whichever bits catch their attention. Various sections would be appropriate for read-alouds in classrooms studying early American history. Teachers in every state can use this book when studying about their state’s early history. Each part our country was the frontier at some point in our history, so every region from the east coast to the Yukon territory gets a chapter. Frontier Living is a valuable window into the everyday lives of the resilient, hard-working people who built our culture of independence and inventiveness, and set America on the road to what it is today.
February 17, 2010
good sketches, but not a book students are going to want to pick up. starts with jamestown and carries thru to western expansion. i like it as a teacher bc info is good, but not the most appealing to a teenager.
March 8, 2021
This book is terrible. I don't know if I hated this book because it was a Newbery honor (an award for children's literature) or if it was bad for its own sake or a combination of both. This is a coffee table book, it was unwieldy for me to read it just physically, I can't imagine a child reading it. The author was terribly condescending and on occasion sarcastic (at least I hope it was sarcasm) and I am not sure children would be able to catch on to his writing style and be able to discern what they should be taking as fact and not. He would also mention quickly and off-handedly people or places or events that he expected the reader to know about already and I definitely did not know what he was talking about multiple times, I am not sure today's child (I doubt even the child of the 60s would have known either) would know what he is talking about either.
The way he treats the conversations about the Native Americans is bad even for being written in the 60s. For instance, he points out that the Delawares was a name given to the Lenape people by the white people but they prefer Lenape and then he continued to refer to them as the Delawares. Why? Then, and I should have kept the book for the direct quote but there is this weird moment where he talks about the vicious skirmishes between white people and the Native Americans and he ends the section with a statement that basically said, "to give the white man credit, he never killed the Indian by burning them at the stake". White people were terrible to the Native Americans but not as terrible as they could have been, so good on them (?!). Yeah, it was bad.
My other "favorite" highlight was the section called "Childhood and Sports". This section consisted of five paragraphs, each paragraph's opening sentence always contained the word, "boy" or "he". Girls are not mentioned except for two sentences at the end of the fourth paragraph where he lists the girls chores and says that they maybe had a doll but it was likely made out of corn husks if she was lucky enough to have one. The fifth paragraph is about marriage but only in how it related to and affected the "boy".
I noticed that this book has a higher rating here on Goodreads and while perusing the reviews I think it is because many people didn't read the whole thing because it is that difficult to slog through. But it got an honor for merit for children's literature. Oh Newbery committee of 1963, I think you are the one I am most disappointed in.
The way he treats the conversations about the Native Americans is bad even for being written in the 60s. For instance, he points out that the Delawares was a name given to the Lenape people by the white people but they prefer Lenape and then he continued to refer to them as the Delawares. Why? Then, and I should have kept the book for the direct quote but there is this weird moment where he talks about the vicious skirmishes between white people and the Native Americans and he ends the section with a statement that basically said, "to give the white man credit, he never killed the Indian by burning them at the stake". White people were terrible to the Native Americans but not as terrible as they could have been, so good on them (?!). Yeah, it was bad.
My other "favorite" highlight was the section called "Childhood and Sports". This section consisted of five paragraphs, each paragraph's opening sentence always contained the word, "boy" or "he". Girls are not mentioned except for two sentences at the end of the fourth paragraph where he lists the girls chores and says that they maybe had a doll but it was likely made out of corn husks if she was lucky enough to have one. The fifth paragraph is about marriage but only in how it related to and affected the "boy".
I noticed that this book has a higher rating here on Goodreads and while perusing the reviews I think it is because many people didn't read the whole thing because it is that difficult to slog through. But it got an honor for merit for children's literature. Oh Newbery committee of 1963, I think you are the one I am most disappointed in.
April 28, 2021
An informative book, full of interesting facts about frontier life with the chronological order of how white settlers move further west, starting from the deepwater frontier, Piedmont until California and the cattle drive era. There are many black and white illustrations throughout the book. I think this book along with diary of an early American boy by Eric Sloane is a must for readers who are curious about frontier life.
June 23, 2015
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/mini-newb...
This book provides an interesting look into–yes–life on the frontier. I’ve been interested in pioneer life ever since Little House on the Prairie entered my life, and this book helped feed that interest. This book is fairly dry, and I think if I had picked it up as a kid, I probably would have lost interest pretty quickly. Still, I can see it working as a book to read with your kids, or something to give to a child who has an obsession with frontier life. The sketches of tools, homes, and clothing are a big plus.
This book provides an interesting look into–yes–life on the frontier. I’ve been interested in pioneer life ever since Little House on the Prairie entered my life, and this book helped feed that interest. This book is fairly dry, and I think if I had picked it up as a kid, I probably would have lost interest pretty quickly. Still, I can see it working as a book to read with your kids, or something to give to a child who has an obsession with frontier life. The sketches of tools, homes, and clothing are a big plus.
January 22, 2015
I picked this book up because I am an illustrator and love the beautifully drawn images by Edwin Tunis. There is much to learn by observing his masterful renderings in pen and ink. The fact that he has also written a well informed and engaging book to go with them is remarkable. But my adoration is in his artwork with this and many other titles by him.
February 11, 2009
This book covers how the pioneers lived, from what they used to cook to what they wore. The books was very informative and easy-to-read. Black-and-white drawings illustrate much of the information.
April 2, 2009
truth be told...i didn't finish this one. it wasn't bad or anything, i guess i just wasn't in the frontier living kind of mood. i'll probably try to read it again someday.
August 14, 2014
a little boring and not very helpful for my research
September 22, 2014
This is a very interesting book about western living, heading west, and the difficulties along the way. I would recommend this book to readers of an advanced reading level. $HH$
January 19, 2016
Excellent visual reference guide that describes the daily lives of American pioneers who explored and settled the territories west of the Appalachians.
Read
April 26, 2016We should all learn and respect where our ancestors came from. We could have a one room school house event at school after or during these lessons.
March 1, 2010
Absolutely invaluable. That is all I have to say. :)
September 26, 2020
As an adult, I highly enjoyed this Newbery "children's" history book about the westward expansion of the United States. (Although, I'm not certain any youth would actually read it.) Tunis writes engagingly, and his numerous illustrations add greatly to the experience. You will come away with much better understanding of the timing and the character of various pushes.
Frontiersmen and pioneers were not all alike, and expansion was largely driven by transportation capabilities. Surprisingly, for its 1961 publishing, this U.S. history is interestingly factual, versus romanticized. Tunis does not ignore ugly behaviors. The book is not outdated, except that the few instances here and there where Tunis uses racist adjectives sarcastically, might mistakenly appear to a young or undiscerning reader as reflecting the author's attitude.
Frontiersmen and pioneers were not all alike, and expansion was largely driven by transportation capabilities. Surprisingly, for its 1961 publishing, this U.S. history is interestingly factual, versus romanticized. Tunis does not ignore ugly behaviors. The book is not outdated, except that the few instances here and there where Tunis uses racist adjectives sarcastically, might mistakenly appear to a young or undiscerning reader as reflecting the author's attitude.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2022
This is shelved in the adult non-fiction section of my library, and that's fitting to my review. While this book is written at a middle grade reading level for the most part, it's dense. It's a good reference book, though, and I learned quite a bit. My idea of frontier really starts with covered wagons and the Oregon Trail, but this focuses more on the 200+ years before that, when the frontier was still east of the Mississippi. There is surprisingly little of the glorification of Manifest Destiny found in earlier works, but there is a mix of regret over the treatment of the Native tribes and talk of savages. Overall, this is much more fact-based than commentary.
August 15, 2020
3.5-4 stars. This book is a chronological encyclopedia on frontier living from Jamestown through Reconstruction and isn't ended to be read cover to cover - although I did read it that way. The information is detailed (but some is conjecture) and the illustrations are magnificent. This would be an excellent resource to use in tandem with historical novels set in that time period and to accompany social studies texts as well. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (20 in 20 "with illustrations") and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1962).
November 29, 2023
Two stars for the text, but an extra for the illustrations. The writing is alright, but simultaneously too detailed and lacking necessary detail. The drawings are excellent and seem to be (rightly so) the standout for most readers.
Want to read
February 27, 2023973 Tun
September 1, 2023
A 161 page book, but it reads more like 322 because the pages are large and two-columned. A nonfiction book about pioneer life as men and families spread from the east coast toward the west. Covered all sorts of topics and times like the California Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, being a cowboy, settlers in the middle of the country, etc.
I really had to trudge my way through this one. I usually love nonfiction and stories about pioneers. But this was very dry, and I just never got interested in it very much. The most interesting thing I found was when a flock of sea gulls saved the crops of the Mormons who settled in Utah from locusts. This was just not a joy to read.
I really had to trudge my way through this one. I usually love nonfiction and stories about pioneers. But this was very dry, and I just never got interested in it very much. The most interesting thing I found was when a flock of sea gulls saved the crops of the Mormons who settled in Utah from locusts. This was just not a joy to read.
July 18, 2016
Very in-depth look at frontier life. The illustrations are spectacular and incredibly detailed. I had just finished reading the Little House on the Prairie series, and I have to say this was a wonderful way to boost my understanding of that time period. It's a fantastic reference book to novels that take place in that time period. A little dense in places, but if you ever need a step by step guide to building your own log cabin, look no further! Definitely deserves a Newbery Honor, probably should have won the award that year.
June 30, 2016
Tons of sketches and lots of explaining on just everything! I believe this easily could have been a Newbery Award book. As an adult I learned many things that I had never heard of like "Hitting the nail on the head." ..or "High tailing it".
June 17, 2016
Great summary of early life in America. Particularly those who lived here in the 16 and 1700's. Life was extremely difficult, they had to work at being alive everyday. I believe that few of us would survive today if we were cast into those conditions.
April 2, 2015
This is more a specialized encyclopedia. It has short essays on daily life as the American frontier moved westward.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews