Go West With Cowboys and Ranchers. (Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier). Tim Cooke. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.),$26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2335-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2322-6 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1732-8 (html). Subject Headings: Frontier and pioneer life-Juvenile literature. Cowboys-Juvenile literature. Ranchers-Juvenile literature. Cattle herders-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. * /4
	Go West With Famous Trailblazers. (Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier). Rachel Stuckley. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.),$26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2237-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2324-0 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1733-5 (html). Subject Headings: Explorers-Juvenile literature. West (U.S.)-Discovery and exploration-Juvenile literature. Frontier and pioneer life-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. * /4
	Go West: First Contact With Native Nations. (Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier). Cynthia O'Brien. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.),$26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2348-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2331-8 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1737-3 (html). Subject Headings: Explorers-Juvenile literature. Indians of North America-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Indians, Treatment of-United States-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Indian Removal, 1813-1903-Juvenile literature. Indians of North America–First contact with Europeans-West (U.S.)-Juvenile literature. Frontier and pioneer life-West (U.S.)-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. * /4
	Go West With Merchants and Trappers. (Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier). Cynthia O’Brien. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.),$26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2338-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2326-4 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1734-2 (html). Subject Headings: Explorers-Juvenile literature. Merchants-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Fur traders-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Frontier and pioneer life-West (U.S.)-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. * /4
	Go West With Miners, Prospectors and Loggers. (Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier). Cynthia O’Brien. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.),$26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2346-2 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2328-8 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1735-9 (html). Subject Headings: Frontier and pioneer life-West (U.S.)-Juvenile literature. Frontier and pioneer life-Northwest, Canadian-Juvenile literature. Miners-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Miners- Northwest, Canadian-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Loggers-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Loggers-Northwest, Canadian-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Mineral industries-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Mineral industries-Northwest, Canadian-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Lumber trade-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Lumber trade-Northwest, Canadian-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. * /4
	Go West With Settlers and Farmers. (Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier). Rachel Stuckey. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.),$26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2347-9 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2330-1 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1736-6 (html). Subject Headings: Frontier and pioneer life-West (U.S.)-Juvenile literature. Pioneers-West (U.S.)-Juvenile literature. Farmers-West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. * /4

excerpt:

Tribal Lands
   Traditional territories
      US government imposes borders

Native peoples had traditional territories. Some groups shared hunting lands, but others fought over territory. In the 1800s, the US government imposed borders on the West. In 1834, it set up Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma) for Native peoples. The nations already living there resented the arrival of new groups of Native peoples. The new arrivals resented being moved there against their will. (From First Contact with Native Nations.)

This series, “Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier,” examines westward expansion in America in the 1800s.

      Although the series is to be commended for including some mention of what was happening beyond the borders of the United States during this time period, the overwhelming focus on the settlement of the American West makes this series of limited value to Canadian students.

      Written in a medium font size and illustrated with archival art and photos, each book includes a table of contents, a timeline, related websites, a list of further readings, a brief glossary and an index.

      The layout of the books is attractive and reader-friendly. The series does contain some Canadian content. For example, it includes a “Did you know?” text box beside the information about the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Did you know?
Alexander Mackenzie crossed Canada in 1793 to become the first European to reach the Arctic and Pacific oceans in North America. He followed the canoe and land routes of the Dene and Nuxalk people, beating Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean by ten years. (From Go West with Famous Trailblazers.)

     Unfortunately, there are several editing errors and confusing passages throughout the series that detract from the quality of the books.

      In Go West with Famous Trailblazers, it states, “She had ran boardinghouses in mining towns”.

      On page 23 in the same book in a section describing the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, it states that “Historians believe the massacre was caused by the Mormons’ fear of outsiders. Mormons were concerned that new American settlers would try to seize their land.” On page 29 of the same book, the author has chosen an unfortunate subtitle for a section on Salt Lake City. “Mormon capital thrives. Everyone welcomed.” Clearly that was not always the case.

      A “Did you know?” text box in Go West with Cowboys and Ranchers says, “When Native Americans were made to live on reservations, the government bought beef to feed them.” This seems extremely misleading since one of the major causes of the Indian Wars in the mid to late 1800s was the government’s failure to provide the promised food or the promised money to buy food.

      Go West with Cowboys and Ranchers describes who the ranchers and cowboys were, where they came from, and what their life was like.

      Go West with Famous Trailblazers includes a section on famous female trailblazers, such as Annie Oakley who became a star in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, and Biddy Mason, a slave who went to court to win her freedom and then went to California where she became a wealthy landowner.

      Go West: First Contact with Native Nations explores ways life changed for Native Americans after new settlers arrived and railroads crossed the West. The pattern of betrayal is disturbing to read.

      Go West with Merchants and Traders looks at how goods were supplied to people settling in both urban and rural areas of the American West.

      Go West with Miners, Prospectors, and Loggers examines who travelled west because of the natural resources and what life was like for them in the mines and forests.

      Go West with Settlers and Farmers describes who was attracted to head west to settle: former slaves, Chinese workers, Europeans, Russian Mennonites, Mormans, and more.

      Although written for a younger audience, the books in this series may serve a need in secondary schools for history reference material at a lower reading level. The text is clear and the illustrations are archival so they will appeal to any age student needing less text dense material.

      Although this series might be useful for secondary English as a Second Language students or secondary history students requiring lower level reading material, I cannot recommend “Go West! Travel to the Wild Frontier” series for Canadian students at the Grade 4-6 level for which it is written. There is not enough Canadian content to justify purchasing these books.

Not Recommended.

Suzanne Pierson is a retired teacher-librarian who is currently instructing librarianship courses at Queen’s University in KingstoWn, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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