Brief, simplified telling of the story of Matoaka "Pocahontas" "Rebecca" Powhatan and her too short life, dying at 21 yrs. of age. ( )

This was a very straightforward book about Pocahontas' life. There is not too much text on the pages and there is a picture on every page. Some of the names of the Indians and their tribes may be difficult for younger readers to pronounce. There are some pages that have a vocabulary box with the vocabulary word bolded and a definition along with a picture.

I would say the message this book would be not judging a book by its cover and to be kind to people. Also, Pocahontas showed a lot of bravery in this story so that could also be a message. Pocahontas was the only Indian who did not want to attack the settlers as soon as they arrived on their land. She gave the settlers a chance and got to know them, specifically John Smith. John Smith and Pocahontas became friends and helped one another. John Smith taught her English and she taught him some Indian words. They worked together with the chief to keep the peace between the Indians and the settlers. Pocahontas also saved John Smith's life twice. She was very brave to stand up against her people and against her father who was the chief. She helped many of the settlers during the harsh winters and she was brave when she was kidnapped and taken to England. ( )

I really enjoyed this biography. It was a DK Reader Level 2, so it was for children who are beginning to read. I thought it was very clear and easy to understand. I love how it was told through the perspective of Pocahontas because it helped the reader understand her better. I liked that the book portrayed her feelings on things. For example, she said, “isn’t it exciting, Father,” talking about the new town that was being built. Through this, we see that Pocahontas is excited about the new town. We also were able to see what kind of person she was. For example, when the warriors were trying to kill Captain Smith, Pocahontas ran over and shouted, “stop.” This shows us how she was a caring and brave person. This leads me to my next positive of the book. I loved how there was dialogue between the people in the book. It was a lot more engaging this way because the events weren’t just being talked about, it was like the events were happening. One of my favorite features of the book was the footnotes on the bottom of some pages. Some pages had a little green box that went more in-depth about what was on that page in the story. For example, on the page about the church, the footnote said, “the settlers’ church- church was very important to the settlers and Pocahontas was baptized into the Christian religion.” I liked that it gave more detail and sometimes a definition because it helped me to understand the story better. The main idea of this book is to inform the reader about the life of Pocahontas. ( )

This is a very informative book over Pochahontas. It gives a lot of facts that I didn't know where true. It also has a little bit of extra facts at the bottom of each page. I likes this book the myth that John Smith and Pochahontas were lovers was dimistified!! Oh well, It's nice to learn something new!! This would be a great book to use when learning about the native american culture or during Thanksgiving week. ( )

The Story of Pocahontas is a biography for children beginning to read. It is very detailed and precise, it tracks Pocahontas’s life from a young girl helping Captain Smith to her early twenties when she moved to England ,where she unfortunately died soon after. Children will learn that Pocahontas helped bring peace and friendship between the settlers and Indians in America. The drawings in this book are well detailed and there are many illustrations of the settlers and Indians living and working many years ago.

I have always been very interested in Indians, their customs, beliefs, and crafts are all quite intriguing to me. My husband is part Native American which also makes my daughter part Native American. Learning the history of Indians will make it easier for me to describe a part of my daughter’s nationality. Pocahontas was an amazing woman, I look forward to teaching my future classes about her strength and bravery.

After reading this book to my class I would have them write an essay on why Pocahontas was brave and what other characteristics would describe her.. A great arts and crafts project would be making Indian cities, the children could replicate the teepees illustrated in the book. Children could also write a story about what else Pocahontas could of accomplished if she hadn’t of died so young.