Who Was Sacagawea?: By Dennis Brindell Fradin & Judith Bloom Fradin

      No study of Lewis and Clark and the idea of Westward Expansion in the United States would be complete without knowing: who was Sacagawea? The children's biography by Dennis Brindell Fradlin and his wife, Judith Bloom Fradlin seeks to tell you just what the title suggest, Who Was Sacagawea? In this biography children will lean about Native American, Sacagawea, who was only sixteen-years-old when she made one of the most impressive journeys in American history, traveling 4,500 miles across the US. Without her contributions, Lewis and Clark's westward expedition might have been impossible. While reading this book, students will learn about how and why Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark, and understand the reasons that we still remember her and celebrate her today.
      What makes this biography successful as a book for children is the way the Fradlins use simple language and basic vocabulary that conveys the factual information in an accessible and engaging way. The book is almost a narrative told in a linear format, following the timeline of Sacagawea's life. It is the simple language elements and linear flow that help to make this book an engaging work of nonfiction that children will actually enjoy reading, and not a textbook-information-packed-snoozefest.
       This book is made further kid-friendly through the use of black and white, sketch style illustrations by Val Paul Taylor. The simple sketches that occur on just about every page help to give the content visual appeal, and to allow young readers to get a sense of what they are reading, through having it shown to them in a physical scene. While the sketches are fairly minimalistic, they provide enough detail to enhance the meaning of the text and help show the setting and characters more fully.
      The combination of narrative, nonfiction language and simple illustration brings to Sacagawea to life for the reader. Teaching us details about her as a person and about her extensive contributions to American history and Westward Expansion. This biography would be a great addition to a study of important Native Americans in history, a study of the biographic form/genre, or to a study of Lewis and Clark and the idea of Westward Expansion. This nonfiction, biographical, chapter book is geared towards students in grades 3-5.

Extension for the classroom:
Teachers could have students draw their own pictures in the unique cover art style of this book. Then ask students to write a brief autobiography about their own lives, using a narrative style to give information.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Who-Sacagawea-Judith-Bloom-Fradin/dp/0448424851