Encounter (Voyager Books)
Reviews (85)
Not written by the conqueror...
A great story depicting Columbus's landing from a native point of view. I read it to my 5th graders as part of a unit on perspective, as they gather information from multiple sources to form an opinion. Kind of an abrupt, odd ending but really makes you think about colonization.
Would not recommend..
This book was written to make children dislike Christopher Columbus. I am not a fan of this. The author took many creative liberties in this story that were not helpful in presenting the story to a child.
Gripping story!
If you teach about Columbus/Columbus Day, Native Americans, or early exploration (or if you’re looking to add more diversity to your bookshelves at home), you NEED this book! I read it every year to my fifth graders and they’re on the edge of their seat the entire time. The story is fantastically told and illustrated.
Bought as a gift
I have long since given away this work but I did read it an was impressed by it. My only "complaint" would be it does not condemn exploitive, slave mongering, family disruptive "religions" to the degree I feel would have been justified and appropriate. It does, I think, make us consider the effects slavery has on the family unit and how colonialism and perversion of "religion" may be a "bad thing." From the point of being 'non-threatening' and informative-great work.
Such an important perspective
I bought this book to read with my 1st grader for Indigenous People's Day. It sparked a lot of really great conversations. The illustrations are beautiful and it provides a much needed perspective in a way that is easily understood by even young kids. We are thrilled to have this in our home library.
this would make a great Disney movie
A book for every classroom and home library. In fact, this would make a great Disney movie, unfortunately, there is no happy ending since indigenous people are still suffering.
Good book
This is NOT a non-fiction book. Having said that, it was refreshing to hear the story of Columbus's first encounter with the "New World" from a different point of view and sparked age-appropriate conversations with my young reader. I would highly recommend adding this to your library.
Shipping review not the awesome book!
My complaint is the shipping method. It's a softcover shipped in an envelope, needless to say it is creased in half. The book itself is awesome! Just dad to see my new book mangled.
Strong Mentor Text for all levels of the Critical Thinking Taxonomy
I love the way Jane Yolen tackles tough topics in such an accessible way for young readers. It's a great book to help young people think through what has, what can, what could, and what should happen when cultures collide. When I taught Social Studies this was my go to book for discussions about some of the sad, somber outcomes of European exploration and greed. You can even draw connections between this story and other groups that are being currently displaced or disadvantaged by other groups' progress. Also the book contains a great deal of figurative language. When I used it for ELA, I would read a portion.It's a very long book to read in one sitting. And then later or the next day I would pick out sentences/phrases from the text and have students identify the type of figurative language. There are also several moments that require readers' to make inferences This is a strong mentor text, on so many levels.
Perspective switch
My students loved this book which captures the arrival of Columbus in another light. It allowed them a different point of view and had them questioning what they had been taught prior to this.
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