Pin 7: Historical Fiction

 

Summary

 

This week I chose the book, "Pilgrim Cat," by Carol Antoinette Peacock. It's a fictional story about a young girl named Faith who befriends a cat she names Pounce on The Mayflower, which is a historical ship that was used in the 1600's. Faith is a pilgrim who leaves England with her family, so they can worship and express their faith freely in America, or what Faith calls "The New World".  On the ship Faith gets sick  and Pounce is right by her side the entire time. Half of the people who traveled with Pounce, Faith, and her family dies during the trip to America. The Mayflower stops at the shore of Plymouth, Massachusetts and Faith's family resides on the Plimoth Plantation. Faith meets two Native American's and their names are Samoset and Squanto.  They are from the Wampanoag Tribe and Faith was nervous about them because she's heard scary rumors about them in England. She soon realizes they are nice individuals. Faith becomes friends with the Native Americans and they teach her community how to harvest crops. Later, in the story Pounce is no where to be found leaving Faith sad. Eventually, Squanto finds Pounce and her kittens. Faith is relieved her friend is safe and then the entire Wampanoag Tribe visits Faith's community. They all have a delicious feast together and everyone gives thanks for their food.

My Review

"Pilgrim Cat" is a great story because it is a fictional story with a lot of historical facts. There was a lot of research put into this book. There are dates in this book which indicates the time period of the Pilgrims' Immigration and the first Thanksgiving. There are facts about how Native American's would use herrings (or fish) to plant with kernels to help vegetables and crops grow. The fish was used as fertilizer for crops. Also even some of the language and the types of food both the Pilgrims and Natives ate is unique to their time period. The mentioning of the Mayflower, Plimoth Plantation, and Plymouth, Massachusetts all have historical significance and was used in the story. In addition, I loved the illustrations. They looked like drawings that were painted. There was a lot of detail put into the facial expressions of individuals and the illustrator captured the essence of the story. The clothing and every detail in the characters wardrobes looked authentic to what was worn during that time in history. This is a story many people will enjoy!

There are a lot activities for children on Pilgrims, Native Americans, and Thanksgiving. I have a Non-Fiction PB and you can find more information on activities to implement with this book. Click on: https://www.pinterest.com/tru3jewelsangel/jewelicias-non-fiction-pb/


I also have several of the same pins on our classrooms private Week Seven- Historical Pinterest Site; https://www.pinterest.com/jamie_lipp/week-7-historical-fiction/