Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy

by Kate Waters, Kate Waters

This bestselling photographic Thanksgiving picture book is now available in paperback!

Samuel Eaton is a young boy living in an early American settlement in the year 1627, and today is the day he will help with his first rye harvest! If he can prove to his father he's up to the task, he will be able to help with all of the harvest. But harvesting rye is even more difficult than he expected. Was he foolish to think he could do a man's work?

Genres: History, Thanksgiving, Picture Books, Childrens, American History, Realistic Fiction, Biography

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Author Kate Waters went on to earn a B.A. from Newtown College of the Sacred Heart (Boston College) and a M.L.S. from Simmons' Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She grew up in a big family in which storytelling was very important. She worked as a librarian for ten years at the Boston Public Library. There she became very interested in telling stories to young people and finding out what they enjoyed reading. She moved to New York where she worked on a children's magazine. While working at the magazine, she started to think about new ways to present history and traditions to children. Her books include pictures of actors depicting the stories Kate writes. In addition, her books have been praised for their content and have won many awards. Kate currently lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Marcus Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good 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[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a first-person narration of “A day in the life of a pilgrim boy” in 1627 during rye harvest time. It uses photographs from the outdoor living history museum Plimoth Plantation that shows what life would have looked like back then. It includes a few elements of the Pilgrims’ faith in God and Christ, including a prayer that the father in the story prays at breakfast. Many of the lines are written in older English. One example:

“The straw is coarse and makes my hands smart and my skin itch, if truth be told. And the sun burns my neck. But I’ll say narry a word. Tis but folly to spend time in bootless complaints.” (18)

For words that are unfamiliar to modern ears, there is a glossary at the end of the book. Also, the back of the book contains brief historical sketches of Samuel Eaton, Rye harvest, clothes, and the Wampanoag people. This would make a fine supplemental book to a unit of study on early American history and the days of the Pilgrim settlers.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some great photographs, taken a Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA, illustrating a day in the life of a pilgrim boy. It deals with daily life - getting dressed, chores, meals, work, etc. - not with theology or with complex issues such as treatment of indigenous peoples (2 indigenous people are met by the beach, while searching for mussels, but that's it). It is beautifully done, and contains some historical material after the story. This made a perfect reading to go with some of the homeschool history we've been doing, focused on the colonies at Jamestown and Plymouth.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in the early nineties as an elementary school student and just rediscovered it at the Library. I remember it fondly. I love that the book uses real people from the time the book was written to demonstrate what life was like for a settler in the late 1600s. I also like that information is included about the real Samuel Eaton as well as the boy who pretended to be him for the photographs.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book to introduce life in the 17th century colony. Friends, family and work all make up the day at.

[Mellanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for making Pilgrim life come alive for students.

[Beverlee Jobrack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good santitzed overview of life at Plimouth Plantation, which I visited with my Girl Scouts many years ago.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an educational book

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The children enjoyed seeing what a potential day in the life was like for a pilgrim boy.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the living history photos.

[Kelle Treadwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great photos
U.S. History

[Rykki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great little read to help my kids understand what life was like in early America. The story is about a real figure from American history, Samuel Eaton. It goes on to describe the average day in the life of puritan boy on Plimoth Plantation. The book also includes a bit of information on Plimoth Plantation's living history village, Samuel Eaton, Roger Burns (the boy in the pictures), the Rye Harvest, "long clothes" and the transition to breeches, and the Wompanoag people. The glossary of terms in the end can help decode the tricky historic dialect for those who don't understand it.

This book talks about what it's like for an early American boy from the harvest straight down to the clothes he would put on each morning. They show Samuel's sister, Rachel, in the pictures as well. My kids took particular delight in the fact that she's shown on a leash-like device.

The pictures in the book are fantastic. They not only show the story, but beautiful images of the living history site itself. Daily life in for a puritan boy is clearly detailed during the harvest season, including a traditional work song (complete with historic looking sheet music for the song).

For any child that want's to learn about harvest time for early American boys, this is a great start. Of course, visiting Plimoth Plantation would probably be a better way to learn, but not everyone can make that trip. This is a start to understanding for those who can't go there.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samuel Eaton is a seven-year-old Pilgrim in 1627 Plymouth, a peer of Sarah Morton, and his story is another installment of Kate Waters' historical reenactment series. Similar in quality to the others in the series, this has a bit more of a story than Sarah Morton's Day. Young Samuel, seeking to earn his place in his community, entreats his father to let him work at the rye harvest, and though the work is difficult he pushes himself hard, earning the praise of the men with whom he works.

Samuel, like Sarah, has a step-parent -- both of them lost a parent in the difficult early times of the settlement. Unlike Sarah, however, who worries about her stepfather's acceptance, Samuel seems very secure in his new family's love. He contributes enthusiastically to his household, plays kindly with his young stepsister, and shares a sweet connection with his stepmother. This book, probably more than any of the others, gives the reader a sense of the difficult, often desperate work required for the Pilgrims to survive in their strange new home. He also greets two Native friends while out gathering food, reminding us how much the Pilgrims owed to the Native people who welcomed them. It's another great addition to a Thanksgiving read-aloud.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these books (Samuel Eaton and Sarah Morton's a Day in a life of a pilgrim). I loved that they were illustrated with photographs, as I feel like that made it much more real to my children. I loved that it simply went through the tasks, chores, and daily family life of a pilgrim child. I felt like my children gained a lot of appreciation for the things that they have by reading about the lives of these pilgrim children. After reading this today my 5 yr old (unprompted) told me "I'm grateful the pilgrims came to America so we could have freedom - even though it was hard for them." And my 3 yr old told me later that she "is grateful to have a house and water." Also both kids thanked me for letting them help fold their laundry (a normal chore for them) and remarked on how nice it is to have clean clothes. :) So, yes - not 5 stars for entertainment or humor - but for educating my kids and helping them see a different way of life - AMAZING. A must read for next Thanksgiving at my house!

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy
Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times

This set of books is uniquely done. Full color photographs of Plimouth Plantation interpreters compliment simple text relating to their dress, chores, entertainments, hopes and struggles.

Samuel Eaton, age 7, traveled the Atlantic on the Mayflower as a baby. He lost his mother, and looks forward to assuming the roles of manhood in the plantation. We learn steps in Samuel's dress, his chores, the work of the rye harvest, a prayer from father, entertainment of Samuel's little sister, Rachel and a song sung while working. All based on the real person of Samuel Eaton.

Epilogues include a paragraph on Plimouth Plantation, additional information on Samuel Eaton's adult life and a biography of the actor who interprets Eaton for this lovely text. Highly recommended for Thanksgiving and study of the Mayflower/ Plimouth Pilgrims. The only thing that would be better than this is visiting Plimouth Plantation!

[Haley]

This is a story that follows the daily life of a young boy from one of the earliest american colonies. It is told from his perspective and uses the language that pilgrims would have used. Samuel begins from the minute he wakes up and talks about all the things he does to get ready in the morning. He then talks about the physical labor he does throughout the day and the evenings with his family.

Personally, i would not normally enjoy a book like this, but this one was an exception. The pictures and the language used really make this story interesting. It brings to life how difficult things were back then.

i would use this to teach a social studies lesson on pilgrims with an emphasis on the importance on hard work.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a realistic look at a day in the life of Samuel Eaton, a boy who was one of the original colonists who came over on The Mayflower. It was a fun book to show my daughter and she was very interested in what he was doing and how it was similar or different to things she does. She especially liked his interactions with his younger baby sister that were shown in the book. The book uses some old English phrases and words that can be confusing for children (and adults). There is a glossary though of the terms in the book. We liked it as a holiday read at Thanksgiving. Also try Sarah Morton's Day -- about a day in the life of a girl colonist.

[The other John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This here's another picture book on life in the Plymouth Colony in 1627. This one follows the day of a boy, seven-year-old Samuel Eaton. It's a big day for Samuel--the first day he's allowed to work with the men as his father and a neighbor harvest their rye crop. Of course, that's not the selling point of the book. The main appeal of the volume is the photographs of the Plimouth Plantation reenactment that show readers what life back then probably looked like. It's a nice little book, worth checking out if you want a quick history lesson for you or your young'un.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samuel Eaton's Day is a great story that really is able to portray the different aspects of pilgrim life. The book shows clothing, chores, hardships, meals and customs from the perspective of a pilgrim. This story is great for 2nd-4th grade students. It is a bit hard for students younger then this age, because they cannot yet understand what the first Thanksgiving was like. Also, it discusses how parents died very young. I don't really want to discuss this with my students so I skip those pages. I would have this story as a part of a unit focusing on Thanksgiving or pilgrims.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children's book is written from the point of view of a pilgrim boy who lived in Plymouth Colony, and represents what his life might have been like. It is interesting, and my class of second graders liked it. The one suggestion that I would make is that the author cut back just a little bit on her use of old-fashioned words that were used in the 1600's. A glossary is provided in the back, and the students enjoyed learning the new vocabulary, so a few would be welcomed, but it seemed like we had to stop a little too frequently in order to understand. The photographs are beautiful.

[Thefullers · Rating 5 out of 5]

from my son:
Samuel Eaton was pilgrim boy who lived in Plimoth Plantation. One morning he went to work in the fields to collect corn for the winter with his father. To get to the corn and crops they had to go outside the village gates. Samuel has a baby sister named Rachel. Samuels father allows him to set up his own traps, but when he goes to check them they are empty. he must take over gathering fire wood for his mother because she is going to have a new baby. I really like this book, it was very good!

[Lenae Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Samuel Eaton, a pilgrim boy. His family sailed from England to the New World when he was just a baby. His mother didn't make it on the journey to the New World. His father remarried and he called her Mam. This book is about the daily duties of Samuel. It tells of the hard work he has to do but he is always excited and eager to help his Father.

I thought this book was good and informative.

This book could be read in the classroom when talking about Pilgrims around Thanksgiving. I think the children would like to hear this especially since the book is about a child.

[Hailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This tells the story about Samuel Eaton's day of harvesting. He wants to be older and bigger so he can always help so his father lets him "try out" to see if he can do it all the time. Read to find out if Samuel gets to harvest with his father or has to wait more years til he is old enough.
I liked how this was a different book, not just about the pilgrims and their three ships and the Indians, but it is about a single boy pilgrim just living daily life.
I would read this around thanksgiving in my classroom to show what it was like for kids my students age in that time.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book about a day in the life of a pilgrim boy. It is full of full-color photos demonstrating what a pilgrim boy would have done daily. There are also two other similar books by the same author, Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl and Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy In Pilgrim Times.

[Christine Levinge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to use in conjuction with a unit on Pilgrims and the settling of the Plymouth colony. This is a narrative from the point of view of a Pilgrim boy. He describes his daily routine, including the chores he is responsible, and gives us a glimpse into Pilgrim life, including a detailed description of things such as his clothing.

[Christy Hathcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about a little pilgrim boy. I think it would be great to use in the classroom because the students can relate to him and see what it was like to be a pilgrim. The book took us through a daily routine that Samuel goes through. This would be great to use when teaching the Pilgrim era.

[Yesenia MR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samuel Eaton was a real boy that came to the new world on the Mayflower. This book tells about what a typical day looked like for him. There is glossary at the end of the book for words that could be new to students.
This would be a great book to read during Plimoth Plantation days.

[Kaitlyn]

We receive a real life account of a young pilgrim buy in "Samuel Eaton's Day". There are real pictures that tell about his every day experiences. This book would be interesting to read to 3rd graders around Thanksgiving, for them to have an idea of what Pilgrims were actually like.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Photographed at Plimouth Plantation this is a good book to use to show children how a typical day of a child might be during this time period.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Companion book to Sarah Morton's day.