Oregon Trail Books

We are currently learning about the state of Oregon as part of our Fifty States Project.  We began with a few books about the Oregon Trail.

The Buffalo Storm by Katherine Applegate is about a young girl named Hallie who isn't afraid of anything except storms.  When her family decides to join a wagon train and go west, Hallie is upset about leaving her grandmother (her source of strength during storms), but knows she will have to be brave.  One day on the trail, Hallie witnesses a storm unlike any other, a buffalo storm, and that gives her courage and strength.  The watercolor illustrations in this book are beautiful; we especially like the buffalo storm illustration.

Minnow and Rose by Judy Young is about two young girls from very different cultures who become friends.  Minnow and her family live in a native village along the plains.  Rose and her family are traveling in one of the wagon trains moving west.  They meet on the banks of a river and their friendship is bonded when Minnow saves Rose's life.  This book was a bit wordy for R, but she listened as she played near C and I.  I always wonder if she retains any information when she does this, but she remembers specific details from the book.

Papa and the Pioneer Quilt by Jean Van Leeuwen is about another family traveling west to Oregon.  They have to cross prairies, rivers, and mountains.  Along the way, the daughter, Rebecca, collects pieces of cloth to mark different memories.  After six months of traveling, Mama and Rebecca use the cloth pieces to make a quilt.  They used a pattern that was popular in the mid-nineteenth century known as "Wandering Foot".  It celebrated the idea of striking out on one's own, moving west to conquer the wilderness and build a new country.  The pattern later became known as "Turkey Tracks".  C and R both enjoyed this book.  I was very happy to find a book about the Oregon trail that wasn't too wordy.

In addition to reading these books, we traced the Oregon Trail on a map, colored a picture that had details about children on the Oregon Trail, colored a picture of wagon trains on the trail, and made a few crafts that will be posted here over the next few days.  You can click on the links to find the map and coloring pages we used.

I am linking this post to What My Child is Reading at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.