Stranded at Plimoth Plantation....

I read aloud Stranded at Plimoth Plantation - 1626 by Gary Bowen as part of our Colonial History study.  The kids and I really enjoyed this book!  Though I would consider it a picture book, at 81 pages I believe it's too much to read and enjoy in one setting.  We spent three days relishing the text and illustrations.

Stranded at Plimoth...is written as a journal of 13 year old Christopher Sears, an indentured servant who was bound for Jamestown, Virginia.  When his ship, the Sparrowhawk, was shipwrecked, surviving passengers were rescued and spent time at Plimoth Colony until arrangements could be made to transport them to Virginia.

While at Plimoth, Sears lives with the family of Elder Brewster.  His journal describes life on the plantation including visits with Indians, weddings, funerals, births, methods of hunting and fishing, planting and harvesting crops, drilling with the militia, etc.  The short journal entries are accompanied by woodcut engravings that would have been the most widely used method of making multiple prints in the seventeenth century.  The woodcut illustrations are beautiful and really make the story come alive.

We highly recommend Stranded at Plimoth Plantation - 1626 whether you are studying Colonial History or just looking for a great picture book to read!