The Coming of the
Pilgrims,
Told from Governor Bradford’s Firsthand Account by E. Brooks Smith and Robert
Meredith, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
Published
by Little, Brown and Company. C. 1964. Prepared in cooperation with and
approved by Plimoth Plantation.
I
was delighted to find this book recently at a used book store. First of all it’s
illustrated by one of my very favorite illustrators of children’s books –
Leonard Everett Fisher. There are many books about the Pilgrims that I already
own and love, but this one was new to me.
If
you have not read Governor Bradford’s book Of
Plymouth Plantation, you might want to after seeing this book. Authors
Smith and Meredith have simplified information from Bradford’s book and adapted
it for younger children. The text is nicely illustrated by Leonard Everett
Fisher.
William
Bradford was an English Separatist from Yorkshire who emigrated to Leiden,
Holland, and then to America with the Pilgrims in 1620. He became Plymouth’s governor
after the death of Carver, from 1621 to 1632. His most well-known literary work
was Of Plymouth Plantation which
describes the colony’s settlement, struggles, and achievements from 1620 to
1646. This is a very extensive, detailed account and will be over the head of
most students under high school age. The
Coming of the Pilgrims is a nice introduction to the story of the Plymouth
Colony, especially to be enjoyed by younger students.
Smith
and Meredith also wrote Pilgrim Courage,
which is an additional adaptation of Bradford’s work at a little higher reading
level than The Coming of the Pilgrims.
Leonard
Everett Fisher, the illustrator, was born in 1924, and is still alive. Since
1955 he has illustrated 250 books, 88 of which he also wrote himself. He was also commissioned to design 10 US
postage stamps, including some for the Bicentennial. His characteristic style
of black and gray line drawings, along with textured acrylic paintings, appeal
to children. He has illustrated many kinds of books for children including
biographies of such historic figures as Gutenberg and Galileo, American history
especially of colonial craftsmen, mythological stories such as Theseus and
Cyclops, and geography sites like the Great Wall of China. Whenever you find
his books at book sales and thrift shops, snatch them up. You will not be
disappointed.
Recommended
additional books/resources to aid your studies:
Massachusetts
by Bernadine Bailey
Miles
Standish, Adventurous Boy by Augusta Stevenson, Childhood of Famous Americans
book
How
the Pilgrims Came to Plymouth by Olga Hall-Quest
If
You Sailed on the Mayflower by Ann McGovern
The
Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty, Landmark book
Mayflower
Secret by Dave and Neta Jackson, Trailblazer book
Mourt’s
Relation, a Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth by Dwight Heath
N.C.
Wyeth’s Pilgrims by San Souci
On
the Mayflower by Kate Waters
Pilgrim
Neighbors by Elvajean Hall
Pilgrim
Stories by Margaret Pumphrey
The
Pilgrims and the Plymouth Colony by Feenie Ziner
The
Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern
The
Pilgrims Knew by Tillie Pine
Rebel
Pilgrim: Governor William Bradford by Wilma Pitchford Hays
Puritan
Adventure by Lois Lenski
Samuel
Eaton’s Day: Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters
Sarah
Morton’s Day: Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters
Log
of the Mayflower by Philip Simon
The
Story of the Mayflower Compact by Norman Richards, Cornerstones of Freedom
Three
Visitors to Plymouth by James W. Baker, ed.
Three
Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness
We
Were There with the Mayflower Pilgrims by Robert N. Webb
Who’s
That Stepping on Plymouth Rock by Jean Fritz
William
Bradford, Pilgrim Boy by Bradford Smith, Childhood of Famous Americans
Christopher
Jones, Captain of the Mayflower by Etta DeGering
First
Adventure, John Billington by Elizabeth Coatsworth
John
Billington, Friend of Squanto by Clyde Robert Bulla
Boy
on the Mayflower by Iris Vinton
Last
Voyages of the Mayflower by Kenneth Allsop
The
Years Before the Mayflower: The Pilgrims in Holland by Anne Molloy
The
Mayflower Destiny by Cyril Marshall
Children
of the Mayflower by Mildred Comfort
1620:
Year of the Pilgrims by Genevieve Foster
Across
the Wide, Dark Sea: The Mayflower Journey by Jean Van Leeuwen
Little
Pioneers by Maude Warren
Pilgrim
Thanksgiving by Leonard Weisgard
Thunder
from the Clear Sky by Marcia Sewell
Christmas
on the Mayflower by Wilma Pitchford Hays
The
First Year by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft
The
Legend of Squanto by Focus on the Family, audio radio theater, excellent!
Squanto
and the Pilgrims by A.M. Anderson, American Adventure series, highly
collectible!
Squanto:
Indian Adventurer by Stewart Graff, American Indian series by Garrard
Squanto,
Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla
Massasoit,
Friend of the Pilgrims by Virginia Voight, American Indian series by Garrard
Tapernum’s
Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times by Kate Waters
Five
Kidnapped Indians by Anne Molloy
The
Wampanoags by Kevin Cunningham, True Book series
As
you can see, I could go on and on with wonderful books by authors renowned for their
children’s books from the Golden Era of Children’s Literature!
Review and
book list compiled by Sandy Hall. All rights reserved. July 22, 2017
