A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840

A Pioneer Story #1

by Barbara Greenwood, Heather Collins (Illustrator)

In an unusual blend of fiction and nonfiction, A Pioneer Sampler chronicles one year in the lives of the Robinson family. Illustrated historical notes enlarge on the social history and describe activities related to the stories, from churning butter to predicting the weather. Young readers are invited to try their hand at these tasks to experience a bit of pioneer life.

Genres: History, Childrens, Nonfiction, School, American History, Middle Grade, Picture Books

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Inspired by her own early fascination with historical tales, author Barbara Greenwood specializes in writing historical fiction and biographies for children and young people. When she was young she couldn't find novels about Canada's past. Now she immerses herself in the subject: reading old diaries, journals, and letters, visiting museums, doing in-depth research at libraries, visiting the areas where her books are set. The information gleaned from her research becomes grist for the background details and settings of novels which emphasize character development and the human side of history. The stories she creates are those she would have liked to read at age ten or twelve or fourteen. The reams of research "left-over" from her first two books was used in A Pioneer Story, an award-winning book which mixes fact, fiction, and hands-on activities as it delves into Ontario's past. Barbara Greenwood studied at the University of Toronto. She taught elementary school for many years and, later, taught creative writing to high-school and adult students. She has been president of CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers) and has edited many CANSCAIP publications. Many of her short stories and articles have been published in the Canadian Children's Annual and educational anthologies.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using a juxtaposition of fiction and non-fiction, interspersed with intersting and fun activity and project suggestions, Barbara Greenwood's A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840 (also released as A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840 for the American market) engagingly and informatively relates a year in the life of a Canadian pioneer family, the Robertsons, both their hardships and their triumphs (and aside from the Robertsons, there is also information presented about their neighbours and friends, the Burkholders, a German Canadian family, First Nations acquanintances, and the neighbourhood in general). And while I found A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family 1840 informative and for the most part even quite engaging (and really appreciate the fact that Barbara Greenwood has chosen to portray the Robertsons, and actually all of the characters, not as some paragons of pioneer virtue, but as real, as living and breathing individuals, with both their good points and their faults, their little peccadilloes), this is definitely a book that is more suited for older childlren above the ages of nine or even ten/eleven (there is nothing inappropriate within the story itself, however, there is simply too much text for younger children, and even with older children, it might be better to consider reading A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840 in manageable chunks, and not simply from beginning to end in one go). And yes, the accompanying sepia illustrations by Heather Collins, they are warm, engaging and descriptive, providing a perfect mirror to and for the text, but also and appreciatively without ever taking over from the narrative (and as this is more textual book than a picture book, that is of prime importance, at least and for me).

Now I do wish I could give A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840 more than just three stars, but I find it rather annoying and problematic that while Barbara Greenwood has provided a glossary at the back, she has not, at the same time, also provided a bibliograhy. Considering that there is much non fiction historical and cultural details presented and depicted, there really should be a list of works cited and suggestions for further reading (not only would this increase the teaching and learning value of A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840, it would also provide information and books that teachers, parents and students could use, could consult to verify, to investigate the historical details provided, shown by the author). And indeed, there is actually a teaching guide for A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840 available online (but unfortunatey, there is no website, no link to this listed within the book itself, and I basically stumbled upon the link to the guide quite by accident, whilst doing research for something compleltely different). And honestly, it rather tends to boggle my mind that this important and yes, even essential teaching resource (which does, in fact, contain a detailed bibliography) is not more prominently featured, is not even listed within the pages of A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840. Still, a book to be highly recommended, for both pleasure reading and of course for research/teaching/learning (case in point, when I got A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840 from my local library, it was listed as being homework help, and this is yet another reason, why a bibliography really should have been included).

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Barabara Greenwood and illustrator Heather Collins bring to life the world of the Robertsons, a Scottish-Canadian pioneer family living in the backwoods in the 1840s, in this engaging book, which blends historical fiction and historical fact. The fictional narrative is mostly from middle daughter Sarah's perspective, although a few chapters contain adventures had by middle son Willy. Subjects explored include the coming of spring, and the maple-sugaring season; the experience of going to a backwoods school; and the celebration of special holidays such as Christmas and Hogmanay (Scottish New Year's). The majority of the book however, is devoted to the hard work that the Robertsons and other pioneers like them had to do, in raising crops, tending animals, and providing a home and food for themselves. The end-goal toward which they work - the creation of a new and far superior house - is a high point in the narrative. Each fictional chapter is followed by a non-fiction exploration of the themes discussed therein, as well as some craft ideas that the young reader can try out, to get a better understanding of the matter...

First published in Canada as A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840, and then in the USA as A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840, this is the first of three books about the Robertsons, with subsequent titles including A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841 and A Pioneer Christmas: Celebrating in the Backwoods in 1841 . Despite the fact that it is the first title, I read this one last, after the other two, and was surprised to discover how much longer and more in-depth it was, than those other two books. There's a wealth of story and activity ideas here, making it a wonderful resource for students studying this period of Canadian history. The realities of life documented here were the same in the states, so it could also work in a unit on American history devoted to pioneers. Although I had no interest in trying out any of the craft or activity ideas, I appreciated their inclusion, and would imagine that this really increases the value of the book, for child readers and for those (whether teachers or home-schooling parents) working with them. The accompanying artwork by Heather Collins, which looks to be done in pencil, is quite lovely, and ably captures each scene or idea. All in all, a solidly engaging, entertaining, and educational book, one I would recommend to young readers interested in the history of North American pioneers, and what life was like for everyday people in other periods of history.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to the 9yo as part of our history curriculum.

Comments: Follows the daily life of a pioneer family, the Robertsons, living on a backwoods farm in Southern Ontario in 1840 from spring to New Years. Along with Ma and Pa, the family consists of two elder children (brother & sister), two younger children (brother & sister), a baby and Granny from Scotland. Told in the third person, the story is given alternately from the younger sister and brother's points of view making the book accessible to both boys and girls. The story itself is very quaint and charming, told in episodic format and can be compared to one of the early Laura Ingalls Wilder books. The illustrations are very detailed drawings done in dark brown and sepia tones; very complimentary to the text.

What makes this book a little extra special is that between each chapter is a non-fiction section which describes some of the topics brought up in the story such as maple sugaring, shearing sheep, house raising, threshing, guns, the traveling preacher, etc. Also in this section are crafts to make using either pioneer techniques or making items similar to what the pioneers used. These are simple to do but will take a trip to the store to purchase not necessarily just laying around the house items.

An excellent book. This is the second time I've read it and it is one of the better Canadian history books out there. Thankfully the publishers recognise this also and have kept this book in print for so long, not an easy feat for a Canadian kids' history book. Certainly worth buying if you have more than one child and a must for a homeschool library. There are two sequels which follow the Robertsons through the holidays:

A Pioneer Thanksgiving
A Pioneer Christmas

The book has also been given an American work over (the setting has simply been changed to upstate New York and any Canadian references and spelling Americanized) and a new title A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840.

Recommended!

[Ye Jin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I got this from the library for my son, but instead I ended up reading it for myself. I'm on Little House on the Prairie withdrawal so this was the next best thing for me! This book depicts the challenging life of the pioneers and goes into details such as food preservation, making maple syrup, entertainment, work on the farm, etc... I enjoyed the detail and depth of the information, but I didn't enjoy the "drama" they tried to add in the fictionalized family between the siblings. It is still a great book to read and learn about the pioneers and struggles they endured.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the how they did it/what it was like part of this book. I learned things I never knew--like how churning makes butter (the proteins break down)...how words like distaff and spinster came to be...what rennet is...and quite a few more I won't spoil things by revealing here. The illustrations by Heather Collins are wonderful. Apparently, she can draw anything and make it look amazingly real. My only quibble is that the there were a couple of truly annoying family members in the fiction section (George and Meg) who domineered the younger kids in a way that made me wince. Still, wonderful book. Four stars.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book to use for a unit study on the American Pioneers. Each chapter highlights a certain aspect of the Pioneer lifestyle (farming, construction, holidays, etc) and within each chapter you'll find storytelling, history lessons, and hands-on projects, suitable for elementary-aged children and up. This was such a treat for our homeschooling family!

[Autumn Fortier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun way to learn about the life of pioneers. There are stories of the fictional family woven into sections of historical facts and activities for readers to try! The whole book is beautifully illustrated, making it an enjoyable read. If you like Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, chances are you will enjoy this book.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our nine year old has read multiple times. This book has both fiction + non-fiction story line and SO MANY ideas for projects (her favorite part. Most projects have items that are generally already on hand.) We also have the thanksgiving version of this book. If you’re studying this era, I definitely recommend this series!

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough look at pioneer life for kids. I liked the mixture of fictional narratives and nonfiction text. I wish there had been a bibliography to show her resources but the reading itself was enjoyable!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this read. Each chapter begins with a story of the family. Then there are illustrations and explanations of how/what they did during their day-to-day lives. It was a good add on to our history studies.

[Addie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book to teach us how our predecessors lived, & teach us how to do the same.

[Heidi Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this to my boys! It was so interesting to learn about every-day life for pioneers. The activities in the books were fun too!

[Ann]

Combined a fiction narrative with historically accurate account of daily life. Also included projects that mirrored the activity of pioneers.

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young Peoples book about a 1840 pioneer family and how they lived their day lives. Good, historical input.

[Jennifer Cafardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book on the details of North American pioneer life and how everything was done. Great for kids studying pioneer life.

[Jeanne-Marie Southern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little read. Fiction and nonfiction mixed to give the reader a year in the life on a pioneer homestead in the Big Woods. Recommend for any Laura Ingalls Wilder fans, naturally.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations, good information

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read aloud with the kids to go along with our America History study

[Kari McDowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually pretty good. Quite a few topics briefly discussed and good illustrations, especially. Reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dnf

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

whew this is a long book. I hated how it didn't flow well.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun intro into the Pioneer lifestyle for students. It follows a family, so there is a slight storyline, but there are crafts and recipes throughout. This is kind of a great insight into easy homesteading tasks for Millennials who are looking to be more self-sufficient... But make no mistake, this isn't a manual or anything, it's a book for kids.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet little book. It's a blend of fiction and non-fiction: one to two illustrated spreads give us a peek into some aspect of the fictional Robertson family's lives in the form of a little vignette, then two to three illustrated spreads following discuss in greater detail the traditions, chores, tools, etc. that were brought up in the previous snippet of story, usually with labeled scenes, cutaway views, and a suggested craft.

For the fiction piece, several Amazon reviewers complained about the children's attitudes and relationships with one another, because one child was whiny about having to fetch a cow, or another was short with a sibling. I find such people ridiculous and probably the type that complain about everything under the sun. The way the children were portrayed was absolutely spot-on to actual little kids, I think. What, the fact that this was pioneer times meant all children did all their chores happily and well, and were never cross with their siblings? Uh, nope.
I found the vignettes interesting and sweet.

For the non-fiction piece, the level of detail presented when drilling down on a particular topic was fascinating and enlightening without being overbearing. The format of this book does not lend itself well to young scholars dipping in and out for research -- especially because this book is homogeneous in terms of its locale, with the Robertsons' state or even country never explicitly stated -- but if this is a period in history that a child finds fascinating (Laura Ingalls Wilder and/or American Girl Kirsten fans especially), it is a great read.

Illustrations, though black and white, were detailed and charming.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are studying American History this coming 2014-15 semester and this is going on our to-read list for the year. What I like about this book is that the book is in a story format with activities inserted throughout. You are learning about a generic pioneer family and following their lives through an entire year. The drawn illustrations are very nice, though they are all in black & white.

The one thing I'm not fond about is that it doesn't specify WHERE the pioneer family lives. The author only says they live on a "backwoods farm in 1840 - not even a country. Is it Canada? America? I feel like this is a bit of a disservice to the reader. Location, even the region, could help with better understanding.

A more thorough review will follow upon reading.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choe: It was about a pioneer family living on a farm in Ontario. It was interesting because you could learn about how people lived. They live differently from how we live now: they had to make their own butter, they had to sew their own socks. To get some honey, they would put out a pot of dry honey to attract a bee, then they would follow the bee back to its home in the honey tree. They put a red scarf on the same tree so they could find it in the Fall. I would like to be people living long ago because it'd be fun to do that.

Olivia: They built their own houses. They put candles on their Christmas tree. They did shadows on the walls.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a wonderful book. It has a storybook and lesson learning book. It had activities that you could do with your child; and the activity would relate to that chapter story. The story starts with a family (whom could have been true life) and each chapter takes you through what a pioneering family had to do to survive. Using the story makes it interesting. Having the activities to do makes it fun. Lots of history within this book too.

Anyone that liked the Little House on the Prairie books would love this book as well. We plan to buy this book to add to our collection.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great resource. I enjoyed that there was a storyline but also great description about how life was for a pioneer family. The illustrations are excellent and my young daughters enjoyed it as well. My only disappointment was with the storyline and how the author portrayed the relationship between the older and younger siblings. It seemed that the older siblings were always quite rude to the younger ones. I'm all for real life but there wasn't very much "good" interaction between them.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book for kids wanting to know more about life in the pioneer days after reading the Little House books. A nine-year-old boy and ten-year-old girl are featured, so the reader gets a wider range of activities. Each chapter contains a fictional story followed by facts, illustrations and an activity for the modern kid.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my 7- and 9-year-old sisters over the last few weeks. We all enjoyed it. The story was better than I thought it would be, particularly in the way the children were portrayed - realistic rather than overly sentimental. The information/non-fiction pages were interesting, and the illustrations were good, too.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. A little over K's level at the moment, but I will keep this in mind for her for later. Would especially be great for doing a unit study on pioneer life--it presents information in a sensible way and includes activities to try as well. Might try to find a copy to add to our bookshelf at some point.