Thunder from the Clear Sky

by Marcia Sewall, Marcia Sewall (Illustrator)

Overview

Marcia Sewall wrote about the settlement of the Plymouth colony in The Pilgrims of Plymoth and about the daily life of the Wampanoag Native Americans in People of the Breaking Day.

This new book illustrates what happened when these two people met. Told by a Wampanoag brave and a Pilgrim settler, Thunder from the Clear Sky shows two cultures with very different views of life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689317750
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/30/1995
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Marcia Sewall's children's books have been among the New York Times Best Illustrated, the ALA Notables, and School Library Journal and Booklist best books of the year. Her illustrations have been selected for exhibition by the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Bratislava International Biennale. She is a lifelong resident of New England.

Marcia Sewall's children's books have been among the New York Times Best Illustrated, the ALA Notables, and School Library Journal and Booklist best books of the year. Her illustrations have been selected for exhibition by the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Bratislava International Biennale. She is a lifelong resident of New England.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-4-Sewall explores the deteriorating relations between the English settlers in Plymouth and its environs and the native peoples that culminated in King Philip's War and the virtual destruction of the Wampanoags and their allies. As in her previous titles about the settlement of Massachusetts (The Pilgrims of Plimoth [1986] and People of the Breaking Day [1990, Atheneum]), the story is told in the words of fictional participants, in this case the alternating voices of a Wampanoag and a pilgrim. This gives youngsters some insight into the misunderstandings that exacerbated the existing differences. As the crisis escalates, the narrative voices alternate more quickly, creating a sense of movement and tension. Full-page paintings illustrate the text; a map on the endpapers allows readers to locate places mentioned. More detailed accounts of the history covered here can be found for older readers, but Sewall's unique treatment makes the events accessible and provides a new perspective on them. An interesting and attractive addition.-Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA

School Library Journal

A companion to Sewall's" Pilgrims of Plimoth" (1986) and "People of the Breaking Day" (1990), this fully illustrated book tells of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags in 1675. The most unusual feature of the narrative is the point of view, which switches throughout the book, telling the story of the same event from an Indian's perspective and also from a Pilgrim's. After sketching in events since the arrival of the Pilgrims in North America, the narrative tells the story of King Philip's War. A full-page painting illustrates each page of text, and a map appears on the endpapers. Although there is no index, appendixes include a glossary, a list of characters, and a bibliography of sources. Informative and readable, the book provides a good introduction to a dramatic chapter in American history.

Carolyn Phelan