Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President

by Shirley Raye Redmond, John Manders (Illustrator)

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sends Lewis and Clark out west to explore. He tells them to make maps. He tells them to draw pictures and collect plants. Most importantly, he tells them to send presents! What kind of present is good enough for a president? Beginning readers will truly enjoy reading about this fun and little-known slice of American history.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Childrens, 2nd Grade, Picture Books, 1st Grade

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of several "sweet" romance novels and dozens of children's books. Many of her titles have won both national and regional awards. She is a member of numerous writing organizations, including Women Writing the West, Southwest Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives with her family in New Mexico.

Reviews

[Beverly McCall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Steps in Reading Book, Level 3. It is an adventure story containing vividly colored illustrations. I like the way Ms. Redman summarizes the entire trip in a unique way to captivate the attention of young readers. Readers learn that the trip was one discovery. These two explorers, using a scientific approach, were tasked with mapping the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. Additionally, they were charged with cataloging the different wildlife, flowers and other plants. Whenever possible, they were asked to send back specimens. I liked the way Ms. Redman conveyed humor through the facial expressions of the people. Illustrations like that help students build inference skills. This book is a great way to introduce history through literature to young readers. I highly recommend it.

[Amanda Elders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: History
Grade Level: Primary
This is one of my favorite books because it teaching kids all about observing, documenting, and exploring which are all great abilities that our future generations should have.
The plot of this book is that Lewis and Clark went on an exploration to the west in order to document new things that they found for the American people to be aware of. I would use this book in my classroom to help children learn about exploring and how we can also explore within our books that we read. We can search for things that we are unsure of such as ideas and words and we can examine them further.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oversimplified version of the start of the Lewis & Clark expedition, perfect introduction for young readers. Love that it focuses on the wildlife they saw. I’ve read a lot about the expedition, especially about Pocahontas and Seaman the dog. I don’t recall reading about them sending back animals to the president while the expedition was still ongoing. Author’s note gives historical basis for the book. I know it’s a leveled reader from 2003, but I’m always looking for resources in NF. Anyone else a little creeped out by the blue dot eyes?

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick summary of Lewis and Clark's trip out West to explore for Jefferson with a focus on one of the living specimens they sent back to him and ended up in Mr. Peale's Philadelphia museum.

When I say summary, I mean summary. This condenses the entire trip to just a few pages of explanation. It's quite cutely illustrated, and who can resist the story of a prairie dog who visited President Jefferson? A light-hearted history read for kids.

[Cecile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would've given more than a 3, but less than a four if the rating scale allowed. I thought the depiction of Sacajewea was inaccurate. The author cites her cooking abilities first and her translation and geographical knowledge last. The truth is that without her those two white men would have died.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for introducing a 7 year old to Lewis and Clark.

[Shankar B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked when Lewis and Clark explored the west and went all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids give this 3-4 stars. It was a fun, easy read.

Spoiler/Warning: My 8yo was bothered by the way Lewis and Clark dug up and then flooded the prairie dogs' homes to catch one.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julia liked this more than she usually seems to with stories based on fact. I personally love non-fiction and even though I read a lot of fiction of different sorts, in my heart, non-fiction is set in place. I kind of always assumed Julia would love the genre as much as I did. But she really hasn't - not to the degree I'd like to see anyway. Maybe she'll be more of a fiction lover.
She can't read well enough to read this alone so we read this one together. She's not into history or geography enough to really enjoy this yet. She liked the prairie dog angle but that was about it.
The author includes a short note at the end of the story that lets the children know a few things like the fact that Lewis and Clark were real people, Peale was a real artist, and that the pictures Peale painted of Lewis & Clark are in Independence Hall.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great! What a fun way to have kids read and learn about Lewis and Clark. Cute illustrations and really fun, unique tidbits of history - which is what always seems to be remembered anyway. Boring names and dates get forgotten, but when it's linked to something fun ... well, kids won't forget about Lewis and Clark sending President Jefferson a prairie dog!

Reading Level: 1st - 3rd grades

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[Kimberly Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informational for a child's book. It is recommended for elementary students. The book does a great job telling of what Lewis and Clark did for the country when they explored the US. This book could be very helpful in introducing Lewis and Clark to young students.

[Sharlene Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of Lewis and Clark has humorous illustrations. The story and characters are true. A good book to have in the classroom for discussions on exploring.

[Cassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for 2-5th grade on learning about the adventures of Lewis and Clark!

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole series is a good introduction to famous folks at a casual level

[Jennifer Oaks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent representation of the expedition of Lewis and Clark. It shows what they found on their expedition and how they came up with the name for the prairie dog.

[Kelsey Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells a little history while being silly.

[Anna Farris]

This book starts with President Jefferson completing the Louisiana Purchase and choosing Lewis and Clark to explore this new land. He sends them off to make maps and observe the wildlife in this new area of the country. They took helpers with them and meet scouts on their journey, including Sacagawea. They saw all kinds of new animals. Lewis and Clark decide to catch an animal to send back to the President. After many unsuccessful attempts, they finally catch a prairie dog. They sent the prairie dog and some furs, birds, and a letter back to President Jefferson with a scout. The prairie dog and the other things sent back are put into a museum for all the people to see.

I like this particular telling of this story because it tells about Lewis and Clark but adds a fun part that most people might not know about. I personally did not know about the prairie dog, but it is a true story. This is a simple, but thorough, telling of the story of Lewis and Clark.

This book would be perfect to use in a lower elementary history class. It contains simple enough information and language that the students would understand. Students would be drawn into the book by the prairie dog and other fun details. The way this is told is somewhat humorous and I think students would enjoy this. Using this book would help students retain information about Lewis and Clark because they enjoyed learning about them.