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Two New Atlases of American History by Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley make the past exciting and accessible by designating one important era to each copiously illustrated spread. Young explorers take Journeys in Time, illus. by Rodica Prato, at the sides of Nanabush, a Native American who leads his people to the Great Lakes region; a ship's boy on Christopher Columbus's crew in 1492; and with Big Joe Bailey and Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad in 1856, just to name a few. Clearly labeled maps and numbered captions make it easy to follow along. Places in Time, illus. by Randy Jones, uses the same format to take aspiring travelers through a Pecos pueblo in 1627; Philadelphia in 1787; 1849 Fort Laramie; as well as tenement life in New York City in 1916.
TCI Lesson 3: The Peopling of the United States

This book is an example of a great idea that could have been executed much better. The book describes 20 significant journeys in American history and provides maps for each event so readers can track the journey. The journeys revolve around significant historical events--the founding of New Mexico, Lewis and Clark's expedition,the wave of European immigration in the 1880's--and describe the journeys of actual people, but not famous people--for example a ship's hand on Columbus' voyage. There are notes in back describing the source material. The description of events is readable and the maps add meaning to the text and are engaging.

I do,however, have two issues with the book. First, the first section opens with the myth of Nanabush going in search of the Great Spirit; however, the text at no point says this is a myth. This myth reads like a report of historical events, and unless the child who is reading the book is savvy enough to go to the notes in back, he or she will be either confused or think Nanabush really did talk to the Great Spirit. Further, the book glosses over the European treatment of natives and American treatment of slaves. In the story of New Mexico, the book does say the natives fought for their land but glosses over the fact the Spaniards attacked them. With regard to the slaves, the one slave story ends with him buying his freedom. The book should have at least mentioned that this was highly unusual. The book targets grades 4 through 6. ( )