Homeschool Reading Corner: ...If You Sailed on The Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern

For Thanksgiving time, we went through studies on Native Americans and Pilgrims. I wanted to separate the two topics because I know that not all accounts and history books are historically accurate.

For what we were looking for, ... If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern (illustrated by Anna DiVito) was a great book. Each page or two asked a new question at the top and then proceeded to answer it below. It was 80 pages and we spread the reading out over a few different days as my oldest can sometimes have a problem staying interested in books for too long. This one managed to hold her attention just fine though.

She'd stop me every few sentences to ask questions, some of which were answered in the book, some we looked up on the computer. It definitely inspired her to learn and she was excited about doing it. I even learned some things that I'd never known before so I'd have to say it served its purpose. And the illustrations were too cute.

It seemed to me to be age appropriate. It presented enough information so that she did learn but in a way that she was able to retain it. I can ask her questions about what we read through even now, a week later, and she can still answer me. Something we've been working on since beginning homeschooling.

I'd have to recommend this for probably 3rd grade and above. Maybe for some 2nd grade as well. Because it is a lot of information to take in. But it's fun to read through. And who knows, you just might learn something!

Goodreads Blurb:

What kind of ship was the Mayflower? How did the Pilgrims feel when they saw land? What was the first building in Plymouth? In lively question-and-answer style, this fact-filled book answers all sorts of questions about the Pilgrims' journey on the Mayflower and their first year in America. Boys and girls will find out why the Pilgrims left England to live in America, what they took with them on board the Mayflower, and the hardships they endured. They'll learn what the Mayflower Compact was, how the Pilgrims made a peace treaty with the Indians, and how these brave settlers managed to survive in their new land.
Ms McGovern has carefully researched the Pilgrims' journey and their first year in America. Her portrayal is full of fascinating detail about their everyday life. Young readers will be intrigued to discover that Pilgrim boys and girls slept on corn husk mattresses they made themselves, and that most of the houses had only one chair -- which was reserved for the man of the house!
The humorous, true-to-life illustrations serve as effective complements to the informative, fun-to-read text.