Gr 1–3—On a cradleboard on his mother back, what would a baby boy be thinking as he travels across mountains, through forests, and down rivers in 1805? Napoli expertly gets into the mind of Sacagawea's son. The things that matter to him are grizzly bears, salmon, cougars, elk, and other animals; kind human hands holding him; and hearing a variety of languages. As he describes the sights, sounds, and smells of his incredible journey, he attaches a dreamlike quality to each recollection. His account seems to be fragments of memory stitched together with stories he has been told. The result is a beautiful, atmospheric narrative that explores the possibilities of that momentous expedition. Lewis and Clark are not mentioned by name in the text; his mother, Sacagawea, and his father are the important adults in the boy's eyes. Madsen's glowing illustrations, created digitally, employ rich jewel tones. The scenery and clothing have a crackled appearance that suggests an old painting, but each person's skin is vibrant and smooth, giving an impression of strength regardless of his or her circumstances. The boy grows bigger over the course of the book, implying the passage of time. Children will need nonfiction sources to gain context about Lewis and Clark, but this lyrical picture book will help them understand the journey on a human level.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Riding in a cradle board on his mother's back, Sacagawea's baby son Jean Baptiste provides a fresh perspective on Lewis and Clark's monumental westward journey from Fort Mandan, N.D., across the northwestern United States to the Pacific and back between 1805 and 1806.
When Shoshoni guide Sacagawea embarks with the Lewis and Clark expedition, little Jean Baptiste tells readers, "Rolled in a rabbit hide, I am tucked snug in a cradle pack in the whipping cold of a new spring." Along with Jean Baptiste, readers will sail the Missouri River, portage waterfalls, traverse snow-covered mountain passes on horseback, glide in canoes through canyons embellished with rock paintings, gather roots in rain forests, build winter camp and explore whale bones on Pacific shore. As seasons pass and landscapes change, Jean Baptiste describes tall grizzlies, sparkling salmon, prowling cougars, romping elk, racing ermine, clambering goats, jumping deer and buzzing bees with childlike wonder. Richly hued, realistic, digitally rendered illustrations capture the pristine grandeur of the American west and its first inhabitants. The wee narrator, Jean Baptiste, appears on his mother's back or in her arms in every double-page spread with high plains, waterfalls, mountains, forests and ocean as backdrop until he runs free in the final scene.
Experience the wonder of Lewis and Clark's journey with the youngest expedition member. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)
