The First Americans: The Story of Where They Came from and Who They Became

by Anthony F. Aveni, S.D. Nelson (Illustrator)

The absorbing story of the first people to set foot in North America and the many cultures of their descendants.

For thousands of years nomadic people from east Asia followed caribou walking east. Sometime around 20,000 BCE, they crossed the land bridge into North America. These waves of people are the ancestors to every culture on the continent. Tony Aveni, whose expertise is the scientific, mathematical, and cultural accomplishments of the first Americans, celebrates the disparate cultures by highlighting one or two from each region of the country: the Taino, the Iroquois, the Adena, the Anasazi, the Kwakiutl, and the Timucua.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction

125 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

Anthony F. Aveni is Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy, Anthropology, and Native American Studies at Colgate University.

Reviews

[Shu Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scanned but did not read word for word after the first few pages. Published in 2005, there is certainly outdated material here, and there seems to be a lack of sensitivity readers or consultation with the people this book has been written about.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just a strange mix of what different scientists can tell from remains and culture about those that first inhabited the Americans and things about their lives that I have no idea how they would know..

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also picked up at a Scholastic Book fair. I wish I hadn't wasted so much money on them. This wasn't a read I particularly enjoyed or found interesting, mostly because I'm not that interested in the history of the first Americans presented in this book.

[Claudia Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool. And I learned a lot.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good juvenile history of the aboriginal peoples of North America. Wonderful photographs and illustrations. Well done.

[Taylor Pettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this books information as well as illustrations. It provides details about the Great Migration, The Taino, Woodland Peoples, and even shows the work of scientists and the clues they use.