Who Was Sacagawea?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Judith Bloom Fradin, Dennis Brindell Fradin, Who H.Q.

Sacagawea was only sixteen when she made one of the most remarkable journeys in American history, traveling 4500 miles by foot, canoe, and horse-all while carrying a baby on her back! Without her, the Lewis and Clark expedition might have failed. Through this engaging book, kids will understand the reasons that today, 200 years later, she is still remembered and immortalized on a golden dollar coin.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Childrens, School, Native American, Middle Grade

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2002

About the author

Judith Fradin has co-authored more than three dozen children’s and young adult books with her husband, renowned writer Dennis Fradin. Starting in the 1990s, Judy began helping Dennis research and write the From Sea to Shining Sea state book series for Children's Press. When those books were completed, the Fradins collaborated on Who was Sagagawea?

Their next joint venture, the Clarion young adult biography Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, became the first of their three Society for Midland Authors Award winners. More award-winning Fradin biographies followed, including Five Thousand Miles to Freedom. The Fradins then co-authored the Witness to Disaster series for National Geographic Children's Books.

Judy Fradin loves visiting schools and libraries, sharing how an idea becomes a book as well as practical tips about writing non-fiction. She has spectacular slide shows for each of her Witness to Disaster books and for Five Thousand Miles to Freedom as well as her books about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Her Underground Railroad presentation features pictures she obtained for Bound for the North Star, Dennis's collection of true slave-escape accounts.

Reviews

[Shaikhah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her story is marvelous :)

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Sacagawea? by Judith Bloom Fradin is a very informative book! I did not realize that she was only 10 or 11 when she was traded to a frontiersman to be one of his Indian wives! She had been kidnapped from her tribe by another and that tribe just sold her at a young age! I don't think they told me this in school. There was a lot in here they didn't discuss. I wealth of knowledge in this book. I am glad I picked it up from the library. Wow, what a strong girl. Great book.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was Sacagawea?
Judith Bloom Fradin

The book jacket says it best... "Sacagawea was only sixteen when she made one of the most remarkable journeys in American history, traveling 4500 miles by foot, canoe, and horse-all while carrying a baby on her back! Without her, the Lewis and Clark expedition might have failed. Through this engaging book, kids will understand the reasons that today, 200 years later, she is still remembered and immortalized on a golden dollar coin."

I love these short historical nonfiction books that identify a person from history and then give their life story in an hour or less. This one was really good. I was not aware that Cook raised her child and loved him like his own. Everyone should read this.

4 stars

Happy Reading!

[Panda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook (45 minutes) narrated by Kevin Pariseau.

Kevin Pariseau's narration is the reason why I gave this audiobook 2 stars.
When you create an educational book and then have it narrated, it should never go to publication with the named characters name being mispronounced throughout. There are a lot of times when narrators mispronounce words and I silently roll my eyes because, seriously? I am not talking about accents or words that have more than one known pronunciation but words perhaps not typical in conversation that show up a lot in books. A narrator should look stuff up or ask, especially if it has to do with names.
I just can't.
I am angry that this is a thing.
As far as the audio, the audio quality is high, without distortions, erroneous noise or obvious edits.
You can listen to this from 1x to 3x speed, as preferred. There isn't any ambience or anything that is disrupted from listening at a faster speed, it has to do more with comfort and time, although this is a short book, so cranking it up may not be necessary.

The content of this book is questionable. I am disappointed with the narrative.

I would not recommend this book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series because it gives a quick background on a historical figure, and then I can go learn more about them if I find them interesting. First off, I learned that I have apparently been pronouncing Sacagawea's name wrong all these years! She had a short but adventure-filled life, although sadly she did not get to many any of her own decisions, like most women and Indigenous people back then. I just wish they hadn't glossed over the colonization of the US in this book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is so important.

[Yuna Komurasaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting book about Sacagawea and her life.

[Sereen Gallichio]

Judith Bloom Fradin's book about Sacagawea, is an amazing and entertaining non-fiction read. The book explains Sacagawea’s life both who she was and what she did. The book begins with a fascinating explanation for the reason she was depicted on the dollar coin. Sacagawea was placed on the United States new dollar coin in the year 2000. The top side shows an American Indian women holding her baby.
Sacagawea was born in 1790 in what is today the state of Idaho. While She was hundreds of miles away from her home, she felt like a prisoner among strangers. Her family lived in tipis where most Native people used to live during that time.
Sacagawea was a brave woman who fished and hunted buffalo on horseback. One very interesting fact about Sacagawea is that There are three Mountains in the United States named after her.
During her life Sacagawea was known for traveling on the Lewis and Clark expedition where she explored with them the American Northwest. When she was sixteen years old, she made one of the most remarkable journeys in American history. The book also mentions how much Sacagawea helped them in their new discoveries (helped what?) and how much she meant to Americans.
She helped Americans (how) and became an especially well known women after going on her expedition with Lewis and Clark. Thus, Sacagawea marked a big spot as a woman in American history.

This book answers many questions the reader might have about Sacagawea. Sacagawea was an amazing person who helped many people and was an important translator for American Indians and White American settlers. Sacagawea was a women who marked a big part in the history of America. In this book, we learn how much Sacagawea was important and how much she accomplished in bringing two different races together. First, she went on many trips to translate and guide people through territories. She did many activities to help Lewis & Clark and they were thankful for her help. By reading this book the reader learns the importance of hard work. This book was written to explain to the reader the different journeys, hard work and commitment that Sacagawea undertook. She worked very hard and succeeded in bringing two worlds together. This book takes the reader back to American history of settlers and their encounter with native Americans. As one can see, this amazing book about Sacagawea is a success that teaches the reader about courage, and bravery of a woman in American history.
This book would fit anybody who would like to know about the history of America, native Americans and Sacagawea.

This book would not be recommended for people who do not like history because it is filled with history facts. The book takes you into Sacagawea’s journeys and explains her struggles. This book would be recommended to lower school and middle school because it is a great book about a woman hero, Sacagawea. This book offers a lot of very important information about history. As one can see, everyone should read this book because it is about the great life of Sacagawea and about American history.

[Ronit Delrahim · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Who was Sacagawea” is about a 16 year old girl who traveled one of the most remarkable journeys in American history. At age 11 she tells her life story from when she was kidnapped by the Hitdasta. At 15 years old she married an older Canadian man named Charbonneau. The two of them joined the Lewis and Clark expedition. She traveled with a baby on her back and traveled over 4000 miles by walking, canoe, or horse. Sacagawea skills and knowledge of Native American languages helped them make their discovery.
The intended age group is primary because the words are simple and understandable for the intended age group. Each page has a picture of what is going on in the book helping the readers imagine what is going on the book.
The artistic elements used in this book are mainly the use of lines. All the pictures are made by using thick and thin lines. Cross hatching is used meaning horizontal and vertical lines cross each other. All the pictures in the book are in black and white. Native Art is used in the pictures because the pictures are from the Native American time and they represent what life was for them.
I would recommend this book because I believe biographical books are important to read because we should know about our history and the people who found it. Sacagawea is found on our dollar coin and it is important to know why she is found on our dollar coin.

[Grace Sun · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Who Was Sacagawea is an historical story, but I'm going to connect the main character with a world current or person. Sacagawea reminds me of Rodney Smith Jr., a man who has been to 50 states and gave the homeless presents last Christmas. Rodney Smith Jr. and Sacagawea both has a kind heart. They like to help people no matter if it's not beneficial for them. Sacagawea was a big help during the long journey from northwest to the Pacific. She helped the whole group by translating, saving food, etc. Rodney traveled to 50 different states and helped the homeless by giving them present last Christmas. Sacagawea got nothing for her hard work and Rodney never received a price or what, but they were still eager to help.

[Yuka Honda · Rating 3 out of 5]

1 Who Was Sacagawea?
2 5/27=30min, 5/30=20min, 6/2=30min
3 Indian/hunting/shoshone/river/home/baby/coin
4 I like this passage "Sacagawea had traveled 4,500 miles carrying her baby on her back." When I holded my cousin's daughter, it was difficult to hold her for a long time. It was great to travel 4,500 miles carrying her baby on her back.
5 I respect for her because many people who live around the world respect for her. In addition, a new dollar coin "head" side shows her.

[Marie Lichte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written historical fiction about the life of the famous Indian tracker who helped Lewis and Clark on their famous exploration. Fully illustrated to help depict the life and adventures this heroine experienced.

[Nicholas Papavero · Rating 3 out of 5]

She was very important and interesting if u like Lewis and Clark this has to do with them a lot so I'd read it! Great person!

[Lucy Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of details about her life and many things I did not know.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

107 pages. Another great biography about a very famous Native American who helped Lewis and Clark along their journeys. Without her, they would have surely perished and been killed. She was quite an amazing woman and had such an extraordinary life. It was very inspiring to read her story. I wish we had learned about her when I was in school. There are helpful maps and extra pages of information like Buffalo hunting, Thomas Jefferson, William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, as well as wonderful sketches of all kinds of things related to the journey, Native American homes, etc. There are passages from Lewis and Clark’s journals that help explain different parts of the journey or situations. It was very informative and I think students will have lots of discussions after reading this one. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Karly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize there were not my any photos or portraits taken of her. Every picture we see of her today is the illustrator's imagination. I also didn't know that she has the most statues, monuments and landmarks named after her out of all native Americans! She travelled across a huge portion of the US, feeding dozens of men, translating between tribes and settlers, navigating rivers and mountains AND had a 1-year old baby strapped to her back the whole time! Not to mention she was taken prisoner at age 15 and had no choice in any of these endeavours. What an incredible woman! This book was a goodie.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a previous book I read in the Who Was ...? series I think this is a good starting point for young readers wanting to know more about history.

Sacagawea is a strong female figure in America. She did everything and more than the men were doing on the trip all while caring for a baby. That will always be an amazing thing to me.

In the future I would like to learn more about sacagawea and see her story told from a native author. If you have any suggestions for that please message me with them!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good synopsis of the life of Sacagawea aka the Bird Woman. Interesting tidbits about the book are the knowledge that Native American women had several names throughout their youth but eventually became know in adulthood by one name. It is also interesting that William Clark raised her children and made sure they had a good education.

[Kelly Hohenstern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this novel with my daughter for her Faces of History school project on Sacajawea. Loved the detail and illustrations in the story. Quick read, yet thorough background information. I have loved learning about this young Shoshone mother with my daughter.

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography is both fascinating and infuriating. I am outraged by all of the thinking, strategizing, and leading that Sacagawea did to make the Lewis and Clark expedition successful, and she received NOTHING in return. She lost EVERYTHING that was precious and important to her, while the men were rewarded financially.

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book great story i don't really like the pictures tho but it was a pretty good book 4 stars 👍☺

[Ashlee Stingel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a fan of the Who HQ series for integrating ELA with science and social studies topics with kids. I try to incorporate these as often as I can

[Evey Vollrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so much fun to read about! It sounded like her life was really hard. Love how they said about her hard times.

[Joanna]

Even though Sacagawea missed home she'd agreed to go on the mission with Lewis and Clark and help them on their journey.

[Hella Smella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent primer on Sacagawea for the under 9yr old set. But the book takes an implicitly pro-imperialist stance which was gross.

[Niyel]

It's been nearly 7 years since i read this lmao😭

[Felipe Alfaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was largely unfamiliar with her before reading this book.
I had first seen her in the movie, Night at the Museum.

Unfortunately, she lived a very short life, and there seems to be very little information on her besides what was recorded in Lewis and Clark’s journals.

The book is probably one of the easiest reads in this series. Definitely good for teaching ESL or kids English classes.

I’m very happy to see that a female native American had so much to contribute to a pivotal expedition in American history. I only regret that later her people were not treated with the respect that all humans deserve.

Her name lives on in the names of mountains and rivers in the northwest, and the year 2000 Sacagawea commemorative gold dollar coin. I hope that we will keep her memory alive to raise awareness of the contributions of women and native peoples to the advancement of civilization.

[Audrie Estrada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Reaction:
-I really liked this book because it gives a wonderful history of Sacagawea while still keeping it interesting. Its not one of those boring biographies that are really hard to read. It has pictures on every page and the words are simple.

Purpose/Use in the classroom:
-This would be a great read aloud if you were doing a social studies lesson on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and you wanted to do a day on the impact she had on the journey that they took. The class can take a journey together and dissect the amazing things she did.
-This would also be a really good group assigned reading for Jigsaw project. Each small group can have a different historical figure and read all about them and create a lesson to teach the class on their person.

Other:
-Even though the pictures are black and white they are very captivating and give a good idea of what was going on at that time period.
-Wording is fairly easy so the primary kids would do really well with this book

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a kindle version in English. I learned many things about Sacagawea, that I had never known before the reading. She was an amazing young woman. I didn't know she had been stolen from her people, and then sold to a man, to become one of his wives. She was pregnant by the time she was 15. Lewis and Clark needed someone who could speak with the Shoshone's, as they traveled, so they could trade for horses, to get over the mountains. I didn't know about her husband and her son.

I didn't think the black and white illustrations, added very much to the book. I have an artist son, and I always pay a lot of attention to the illustrations, and I didn't look much at these pictures.

I have lived nearly 75 years, knowing very little about Sacagawea, so this book taught me much more than I had ever learned about her. This is a good book for older children.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series looks really juvenile from the cover, but they actually contain a lot of useful information. This one was particularly informative, not just on Sacagawea, but covers what led up to the Louisiana Purchase, events during the Corps of Discovery and what happened later (byond M. Lewis' untimely death). We read many books on Lewis and Clark during our study and this was one of only a handful that discussed the fact that Clark later adopted "Pomp" to raise with his own ten(?) children and that Sacagawea died just a few years later from complications during the birth of her daughter.

I wish they had made a similar book for George Washington Carver since we are studying him now.