I Am Sacajawea, I Am York: Our Journey West with Lewis and Clark

by Claire Rudolf Murphy, Higgins Bond (Illustrations)

When Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery set out in the spring of 1804, they had chosen to go on an unprecedented, extremely dangerous journey. It would be the adventure of a lifetime. Unlike others in the group, two key members did not choose to join the hazardous York, Clark's slave, and Sacajawea, considered to be the property of Charbonneau, the expedition's translator. The unique knowledge and skills Sacajawea and York had were essential to the success of the trip. The dual stories of these two outsiders, who earned their way into the inner core of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, shed new light on one of the most exciting and important undertakings in American history.

Genres: Picture Books, History, Native American, Nonfiction, Biography, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

Claire Rudolf Murphy has loved history since she was a young girl; in fact she majored in it at Santa Clara University. Murphy is the author of fourteen books for children. A former middle and high school teacher, she is a member of the faculty of Hamline University's Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Washington.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very nicely done book about the Lewis and Clark expedition as told from the point of view of Sacajawea and York. My niece is studying the Lewis and Clark expedition in summer camp, and although she had heard of Sacajewa, she had not heard of York. I chose to read this book to her as a way of illustrating to her the contributions of other figures taking part in this expedtion, and as a way of illustrating to her that the Lewis and Clark journey did not just involve white people. Credit where credit is due.

The illustrations in this book are just beautiful. They managed to capture a sense of intimacy as well as a sense of grandeur, helping the reader to feel like they were part of this expedition across a grand, unknown, dangerous, and beautiful land. The illustrations held my niece's attention, and even drew my three-year-old nephew into the story. The text was far above his head, but the pictures were not, and this enabled him to also be exposed to some history. He actually sat and listened to this story all the way through, and he asked questions about what he was seeing in the pictures. I am confident that this was due to the beauty of the illustrations.

I thought the story was well told. I appreciated the afterword, which added to the story, and provided a real sense of how Sacajawea and York's respecitive ethnicities figured into how their achievements and contributions were viewed by their contemporaries, as well as by history.

My niece said, "I really liked that book. It's really very interesting. That was good to read." She also enjoyed the pictures. The book also excited her because it reinforced some of the things she has learned about the expedition, and gave her the opportunity to tell me more about what she was learning. All in all, this is a very good book to read to children studying American history, the Lewis and Clark expedition in particular, or to children learning about ethnic and cultural diversity.

[Chris Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telling the story of Lewis and Clark's expedition from the point of view of Sacajawea and York, Clark's slave, this version of events keeps it way real. Sacajawea and Clark are controlled by white men who need them and yet do not consider them equals. Sacajawea and York grumble, they commiserate, they acknowledge each other's talents, and they do what they have to do to survive. This book shows that some of the greatest achievements in U.S. history were built on the backs of slaves and the oppressed. The Lewis and Clark Expedition is not something Sacajawea and York chose to do, but they did make it possible. Maps, an afterword, a pronunciation guide and recommended additional sources enhance the reading experience.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of explorers Lewis and Clark, told alternately by guide Sacajawea and Charbonneau's black slave York (whom I'd never even heard of). I was surprised at how well this help Logan's attention. This was his first exposure to the story of L & C and I'm glad it included these key, but lesser known participants. There was a nice afterword too, about what happened to York & Sacajawea. While I think the text alone might not have kept his attention, the beautiful action-filled illustrations helped.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the perspective (though imagined by the author since no primary sources exist to confirm these emotions portrayed by the author) shared in this book. Few books identify the fact that Sacajawea was in fact Charbonneau's slave and the effect that must have had on her. I did find it confusing at times to keep with which character was narrating in first person, which could be addressed in a read aloud.

[hhhhhhhhh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice picture book with clear text telling the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition through the eyes of Sacajawea and York, enslaved people who played important roles in the expedition.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

simply told from the viewpoint of a slave and Sacajawea-- beautiful illustrations

[Lincoln Arias · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

M liked it...especially the different ways to pronounce SACAJAWEA! :)

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does an excellent job of centering the experience of Sacajawea, an Indigenous woman, and York, an enslaved man. This book highlights their individual agency, talents, and spirit while shining a critical light on the racist society in which they lived. Some of the language would be different if written today (I.e. the use of ‘slave’ instead of ‘enslaved person’), but the book is very much an essential for any discussion of the Lewis and Clark exploration with children.

[Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated as it tell the story of Sacajawea (slave/wife/mom/translator) and York (slave) as well as the dog as they each contributed to the Corps of Discovery to make it a success. They got to VOTE! A word towards the end attributed to her that I do not know if she would have said. RIP.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story told from the viewpoints of Sacajawea, a Native woman, and York, a slave, on the journey of Lewis & Clark. The story was informative, but the alternating viewpoints of both narrators was confusing. My child and I both had difficulty at times determining whether Sacajawea or York was the narrator at times.

[Libby Erwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Am Sacajawea, I Am York: Our Journey West with Louis and Clark was not one of my favorite picture books I have read so far this semester. I did not think that it was very interesting and it did not hold my attention well. Although the story was written to inform the students, this was still meant for young children so the writing style and content should have been more engaging. One positive to the book was the pictures were very well done. They were colorful and provided a good insight into what was being discussed at that point in the book. The book was somewhat confusing to me also, I feel as if background knowledge was needed to be able to follow understandably.

The purpose of this book was to inform students of Lewis and Clark's expedition across America and the many people that they came into contact with that stood alongside them and guided their travels. Third through fourth grade would be the expected age level for this book and it would be most beneficial to those ages due to the history content within. This book would be used when discussing the founding of our nation or the numerous cultures mentioned within this book. The diversity can be shown throughout every page and could be a showing of the importance of working together and how individuals backgrounds can benefit situations, the color of individuals shouldn't matter. Not only does this book work for history of the establishment of America, but also history of diverse backgrounds working together to achieve a common goal. Although in my reflection I said I did not particularly enjoy this book, there are benefits to reading this in a classroom when it comes to purpose.