Reviews for A Pioneer Alphabet

The average rating for A Pioneer Alphabet based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-08-05 00:00:00 Risto Ilkka An informative and mildly entertaining alphabet book, it is Mary Jane Gerber's lushly descriptive accompanying illustrations, combined with word search activities and detailed supplemental information about pioneer life in what is now Canada, as well as the history of the United Empire Loyalists that are are A Pioneer ABC's strongest assets. Mary Alice Downie's narrative is more than adequate, but also by no means spectacular (and I personally do think that it might have worked better, had the author at least tried to make the text somewhat more poetic, for as it appears now, it seems rather unfinished, even a bit choppy and uneven). And truth be told, it would also have been of much benefit, had the author, had Mary Alice Downie made more than a cursory mention of Canada's First Nations (the only referral is under the letter "I" where visiting "Indians" teach the Loyalist pioneers how to ice-fish, but in actual fact, First Nations individuals not only aided Loyalist pioneers with logistics and advice, but actually often prevented many of them from starvation and from harvesting and consuming poisonous plants and mushrooms). Now I would still highly recommend A Pioneer ABC as a good, basic alphabet book for young children (and the historical information presented certainly is interesting and well-researched, showing both the many joys and struggles of pioneer life). However, if I were reading this book with or to a child or a group of children, I would most definitely expand the scope of A Pioneer ABC by also discussing Canada's First Nations and their contacts, dealings and problems with pioneers, with settlers, including the United Empire Loyalists.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-12-05 00:00:00 Birgitta Granberg This is a great book. It teaches about the pioneers and would be a great History book for lower elementary classrooms. It also teaches about words that go along with the ABC's. This is a great book for young readers to learn about their ABC's in a fun way. I would recommend reading this around Thanksgiving, when the students are learning about the pilgrims.