Going West

by Jean Van Leeuwen, Thomas B. Allen (Illustrator)

Follows a family's emigration by prairie schooner from the East, across the plains to Kansas

Genres: Historical Fiction, Picture Books, Family, Childrens, 2nd Grade

Paperback

First published March 2, 1992

About the author

Jean Van Leeuwen was an American children's book author, of over forty children's books, including the Oliver Pig series, and Bound for Oregon.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day in early spring we packed everything we had into our wagon, tied our milk cow Sadie on behind, and set out to find a new home. Going West.

In this story, Hannah travels with her Mama, Papa, older brother (Jake) and younger sister (Rebecca). The five of them know that this journey will be tough, but they cannot help but to go.

We left behind the town we knew, the woods, the hills. We rode, bouncing and swaying in the creaking wagon, day after day.

We get to learn a little about what it was like for them to survive on the trail and the things they saw.

At night Mama cooked over a campfire and we slept close together on the wagon floor, with stars winking through the opening on our canvas roof.

This story had Little House on the Prairie vibes - of the little family against the big world. And it was fun to watch them adventure together.

I liked that the story included some of the hardships that the family experienced - like how sad Mama was when she left behind her sisters and their furniture. I can't imagine traveling across the prairie with one kid, much less three! And then to cook on an open flame the entire time? YIKES!

The color palette was very yellow-toned sepia, which made the picture book feel even older than it was. The illustrations did a great job of capturing light and form. They reminded me of pages from a sketchbook.

If you have a little one who loves the prairie, then I think this story would work well!

[Robin Raines-Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice illustrations and wonderful westward ho story.

[Rani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heading West to settle the prairies is not as simple or easy as it seems!

#Pioneer #Prairie #West #Travel #adventure

[Jennifer Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great story to bring early pioneer experience to life! Perfect as we construct our mini covered wagon models. ☺️

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read this before! It’s called “Little House on the Prairie.” Shocking how similar the two are.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so eerily like Little House on the Prairie, but it’s a good book for illustrations of the time period.

[Allison DeMeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: I thought of Laura Ingalls Wilder right away. This book is relatable to the Little House books. I thought this book was full of information and is a good way for younger students to learn about the history of migrating to the west.

Purpose: Read aloud to 1st-4th grade. This is a great introduction to a history unit on migrating to the west. This book follows a pioneer family as they face challenges while traveling in a covered wagon. The illustrations in this book are very faint watercolors and I think this is important because it shows that is set in the olden days. This book includes everything an elementary student would need to know about "Going West". It explains how not everyone went and it was hard to leave their family and friends, and then moves on to what all they packed and how it was hard to fit everything in their one wagon. It teaches the students that it was not an easy journey for pioneers to migrate west. At the end of this story it shows that it was beneficial in the end for these pioneers to move in order to survive with fresh crops and better living conditions. This book is a must read to students when learning about history of pioneers, even Kansas history lesson would work with this book.

[Rachel Devine]

1) Awards: none
2) Grades: kindergarten- 2
3) This book is about a girl named Hannah and her family moving west. It is during the time when the west of this country was opening up to be settled and people were packing up everything they owned in a wagon and moving west. It is their journey and how they settled in their new home.
4) I love this book because it tells a story through the eyes of a young girl who anyone could relate to. I like the easy way the story is written and the facts that are included. The only thing I don’t like is the pictures. I like them as pictures but I wish they were easier to see and clearer.
5) This book can be used to introduce this time in American history. This book shows how it can be really hard to move and leave everything and it can help show students what it was like. It can also be used to talk about family and home. At the beginning of the book they leave their home and finally on the last page Hannah says how this now feels like home. This can be used to talk about how it is the people in our lives that matter most.

[Lv2readB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Van Leeuwen, J. (1992). Going West. New York: Puffin, Penguin.

Summary:
A young girl narrates her family as they move out West, through their trials and changes as they try to adjust to frontier life on the plains.

Reviews/Awards:
Publisher's Weekly 8/4/1997
Horn Book Guide 9/1/1992
School Library Journal 3/1/1992
Booklist 2/1/1992
Kirkus Review 1/1/1992
Publisher's Weekly 12/13/1991

Curriculum Connection:
Social Studies history: 3rd graders use chronology to organize historical events. Students can begin by putting the events in this book in order, then matching the events to a map (such as: http://www.historyglobe.com/ot/otmap1... or http://www.casperwyoming.info/downloa...)
* Good ideas: http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/teac...

Grades: 1-3 (main character is 7 yrs old)

[Danielle]

1. No Awards
2. Grades preschool-Grade 1
3. This tells the tale of Hannah and her family as they journey West across the country. The family left in hopes of a better future, a farm and better life. In simple narrative, children learn the plight of travelers in covered wagons and the hope for a future.
4. With beautifully detailed illustrations, this story tells an engaging tale of a family and their move westward. It gently tells the difficulties family face, uprooting their lives and traveling somewhere new.
5. This book is good as a simple class read aloud, also as part of a history lesson on westward migration as the United States expanded.

[Katie Nanney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of the script to Oregon Trail. Everything that happened in the video game(that I could remember) happened in the book--except no one died of dysentery. The pictures were nice and colorful and the story about finding a home in the West was really beautiful. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to read more about pioneers in the Western United States.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story with many facts about westward expansion woven in. (River fording, planting, building a home) The pictures are unique and very nice, a bit blurry. Teaches the importance of friends, family, and tradition.

[Sydney Dungey]

A wonderful book that expresses the life of people moving west and the hardships they faced. Could definitely be used along with a social studies lesson on moving west and the historical events that happened and teaching children what it was exactly like.

[Megan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family struggles with the harsh conditions of moving out west in a covered wagon. The story is told from the child's point of view. Once they arrived at their destination the family built a one room cabin and started their new life. Could use this book to introduce kids to historical fictions.

[Cws]

JEAR3-Van Picture book-pioneers traveling by covered wagon

[Mitchell Ary · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book to educate and intrigue younger people on the history of migrating west in america and the troubles that faced those people.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrated fiction gr 1-3


1800s journey East to Kansas. Describes one family's journey west and the hardships they face in their new home