Thunder from the Clear Sky

by Marcia Sewall

Strange white folk one day shall come across the Great Sea and crowd red men off the earth -- so an old sachem warned our people many, many winters ago.
* * * *
It was scarcely three months after we settled at New Plymouth that several red men came to our village in friendship. But how difficult has been our task to civilize them....

This book starts where its companions Pilgrims of Plimoth and People of the Breaking Day left off. This is the story of two peoples meeting, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags, and the eventual clash of their beliefs and cultures. It is a tale of good intentions, misunderstandings, betrayal, and finally of terrible, all-out war, which ultimately destroyed the Native American way of life in New England.

Genres: Childrens, American History, History, Native American, Picture Books

64 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1995

Reviews

[Kaila Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I REALLY wanted to like this book. I liked the idea of learning about this topic from both perspectives, but it was so hard to follow along with the story. I tried reading it to my kids but had to stop halfway through because it was just not holding our attention at all.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sewall explores the deteriorating relations between the English settlers in Plymouth and the native peoples that culminated in King Philip's War and the virtual destruction of the Wampanoags and their allies. The story is told in the alternating voices of a Wampanoag and a pilgrim. This gives youngsters some insight into the misunderstandings that exacerbated the existing differences.

Age/Grade: 7+

Instructional Ideas:
Use in a unit on Colonial America to explore and discuss conflict resolution.

[Robert W.]

This picture book provides information from when Europeans first arrived in America and their initial reactions to each other. It then begins to tell about events from two perspectives, the pilgrims and wampanoags.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this more than the execution.