Book Description

In an unusual blend of fiction and nonfiction, A Pioneer Sampler chronicles one year in the lives of the Robinson family. Illustrated historical notes enlarge on the social history and describe activities related to the stories, from churning butter to predicting the weather. Young readers are invited to try their hand at these tasks to experience a bit of pioneer life. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great , engaging book about pioneer life!
I loved this book. I read it before I gave it to my daughter. It is a fictional family, but all the information is true to life. Interspersed with the story of the Robertsons, you can learn how to make your own cheese, dip a candle, or learn to tell the time from the sun.
This book will add to your library, and is a nice complement to Laura Ingalls Wilders books. Homeschooling familys will enjoy it, I know we did.

this is a fanntastic book
The Pioneer Sampler

The Pioneer Sampler is a fun and fascinating book. It tells about a pioneer family. Can Nekeek and Willy catch fish by hand? You'll find out. This is a fun book.
I'd give this book a five *...

Experience pioneer life!!!
Barbara Greenwood has written a wonderful book that is as much fun for adults to read to children as it is for the children to read themselves. She doesn't just 'tell' about the Robertson's, she 'shows', drawing the reader into their lives...a pleasant place to be. I especially love Granny's story about how she came to America,on a ship, from Scotland.

The book is beautifully illustrated...all the way through...by Heather Collins. The pictures are so well done that, even as an adult, I would like to step into the scene!

There are instructions for simple, fun activities such as growing a potato plant, dyeing fabric using an onion, or making a cardboard jumping jack; pioneer games that will even entertain today's children for hours such as shadow shapes or knucklebones; and recipes that are easy for children.

Reading this book to a child is a great 'stress releaver'...it's like a little escape from the treadmill of life!!!

A wonderful book on pioneer life for children ages 6-14
I've read many books on pioneer life, and this is by far the best one for children. The book is about the Robertsons, a fictional family living in the west. While the family is fictional, the material is all drawn from real life.

The story takes you through a year in their lives, each chapter being its own story. After each chapter, the author provides explanatory material, giving detailed information about events and activities from the story. For example, there is a chapter about the children searching for a bee tree in order to find honey. In the explanatory material following the chapter, the author discusses beekeeping, division of labor among the bees, how the honey is actually made and the importance of honey to the early pioneers.

Unlike most books, we found the explanatory material every bit as captivating as the stories. In addition, the author suggests some activities children can do in order to learn more. Yesterday we conducted an experiment to see how the sap in the maple trees resists freezing because of its high sugar content. Today we made butter.

All in all, an excellent book. Thumbs up from [this family]

Excellent teaching resource book!
I love using this book in the classroom because of the way it takes each aspect of everyday pioneer living, and provides a non-fiction type short story along with more information about the job, skill, etc., along with an acitivity for the children to do. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great supplemental activities!
This wonderful book is a great addition to your study of Pioneer days!All of the activities can be used to reinforce the daily life of the Pioneer families.There are activities and instructions for hand sewing a doll and her clothing; making useful, everyday things such as punched tin lanterns from tin cans and votive candles; or even molded candles.This is a great book for those hands on activities you need for history.It would even be good for studying the lives of children throughout history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Gold Rush Fever
This is about two boys named Tim and Roy living with their aunt Ravhel. All of a sudden they discover that there is a gold rush going on in the Yukon. When they got there, they had to climb and climb until they reached the golden stairs. Then they had two choices, White Pass or the Chilkoot Pass. They took the Chilkoot Pass because it was longer but it was safer. Then they reached Lake Lindeman. They had to form a group and build a boat at to get to Lake Bennett. They reached Lake Bennett in one peice then they found the town Dawson. They tried searching for gold but had no luck. They got a claim. They struck it rich, they only had enough to get home and have a little left for their aunt Rachel to see. So they went home happy and content as can be. Read this book it will take you back to the time of the gold rushes.
Review by: Frances ... Read more

Reviews (5)

AwwwwwSome
The last safe house is a great book. It shows the trails of a runnaway slave and how it does't matter whats your color you are.People are not always friends but really know.

Superior in Every Way
Wow, does it make for persuasive argument if I just say this book is good? No, but Barbara Greenwood's "The Last Safe House"" is a must for anyone interested in the topics of slavery, underground railroad or 19th century history, (America or Canada).

What makes this book so special is that it is so much more that just a young adult novel. Yes, there is a fictional story being told here, but mixed into the fictional story are non-fictional side bar stories. So for example when the story starts to tell of a nefarious slave catcher, the author stops the fiction and starts giving us a real background of slave catchers and how they operated. Basically the footnotes for her story become part of the story. And believe me it is not distracting at all. It's almost like Barbara Greenwood is sitting us next to a fire and telling us the story and pausing every once in a while to more fully explain some things.

I also loved Heather Collins's illustrations. We are not talking the fine art you occasionally see in juvenile books, but we are talking very functional drawings that not only add to the story but to our general understanding. I would love to have a poster size picture of her drawing of "A Cotton Plantation."

In addition to the great design of this book, there are some story details that are often skipped over in many other similar type books. First off, she tell the story that slaves were still not completely free even if they made it to Canada. Also while Canada may have been the land of the free, it was not completely free of prejudice.

I collect books about the underground railroad as a hobby. And Barbara Greenwood's "The Last Safe House will be one of my most recommenced reads.

Snip, snap, snout, my tale is told out . . . . :-)

Great book!
The Last Safe House is a fictional story with non-fiction stories in it. It tells about people in slavery during the mid eighteen hundreds. I recommend this book for kids 7 years old and up. They will enjoy the excitement of the story while learning about all the great African-Americans. I would give this book a four and a quarter stars. I think that you will have a good time with this book.

Sensitive and Sensible
The Last Safe House is a blend of good research, good writing, enjoyable illustrations and activities to make the subject come alive for children. Greenwood spins a simple central tale of an escaped slave family and one of the families who helps them reach freedom, and uses this story as a springboard to a larger picture - the history of black slaves in America, the hero(ines) of the Underground Railroad, the whole question of justice and prejudice. Greenwood does not sugar-coat the issues or her characters - her protagonists are real children, who sulk, bicker and wish to be popular just like children do in every age. There's also a delightful lack of smugness about the presentation - this isn't a 'look at the wonderful white family helping out the poor black refugees' story, or even a 'look at the wonderful Canadians saving people from the terrible Americans' story - it's a book that examines a huge and complex issue in childsize pieces, in a sensitive yet sensible manner.

In my opinion, this book is award-winning material...it has solid worth, and the illustrations and activities combine with the adventure in the story to produce a captivating whole (for children and adults alike). Bravo to Greenwood and Collins!

A fascinating story of the Underground Railroad.
The year is 1856. Twelve year old Johanna Reid lives in Saint Catharines, Ontario, a small town on the border of the U.S. and Canada. Eleven year old Eliza Jackson is escaping slavery in Virginia with her mother and older brother, Ben. Along the way, Eliza's mother is captured, and Eliza and Ben are separated. Eliza's journey brings her to the Reid home. At first, Johanna resents Eliza. But as she hears Eliza's story, she becames aware of the horrors that slaves face. Included in this book are activties and tidbits of historical information. THE LAST SAFE HOUSE brings the pre-Civil War period to life through an engaging story of two young girls. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good for reading about harvest with your children
We enjoyed reading this book together. The story is about a fictional family set in pioneer days. Each chapter is a small independent story within the larger story of the family's Thanksgiving preparations; for example one chapter tells of a daughter sneaking out to gather cranberries to make a special dish for her ailing grandmother. Almost every other page is illustrated, and there are recipes and craft ideas scattered among the chapters and at the end of the book. The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is that I felt the crafts should use the materials of the pioneer time where practical. For example, the corn husk dolls should be made with corn husks and not plastic lace. You're not likely to have either laying about your house, so it's not as if plastic lace is a more convenient, handy substitute. That is the only dint in this great book. ... Read more

Book Description

Combining fiction and nonfiction, this dramatic story set in the snowy backwoods follows the Robertson family as they prepare for Christmas in 1841. They are excitedly expecting visitors from afar. But as a winter storm begins to rage, the family fears for the safety of the travelers. How will Andrew and Sophie — with a baby on the way — fare on such a dangerous journey?

Each chapter of the story is enhanced by information about the pioneer period and how Christmas was celebrated in the past. Children will learn about holiday traditions in more detail through crafts, games, songs and other activities. Even 150 years ago, Christmas was a special time.

A companion book to A Pioneer Thanksgiving, A Pioneer Christmas weaves together stories, information and activities to create a tapestry of pioneer life. ... Read more