SQUANTO'S JOURNEY: THE STORY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

SQUANTO'S JOURNEY: THE STORY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

by Joseph Bruchac

 Illustrated by Greg Shed

Image credit: www.amazon.com

1. Bibliography

Bruchac, Joseph. 2000. Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving. Ill. by Greg Shed. Orlando: Voyager Books.  ISBN 978-0-15-201817-7

2. Plot Summary 

This is the story of Squanto, told from his own point of view.  He hails from the Patuxet people or "People of the Falls".  He begins by explaining how he was tricked by an Englishman and taken to Spain as a captive.  In Spain, he was sold into slavery, but was set free by a clergyman and escaped to England.  In England, Squanto worked hard to learn English and, eventually, went back to America on a ship.  He returned home to find most of his people wiped out by illness.  Squanto worked with the elders from different groups of Native Americans as a "guide and interpreter" for the English.  He taught the English many survival skills, such as how to grow crops, hunt, and fish.  The story ends with Squanto giving thanks together with the Englishmen.  They have a feast to share in the bounty of the harvest.    

3. Critical Analysis

Squanto's Journey provides details about Squanto's early life and a recount of the First Thanksgiving told from the perspective of a Native American.  The reader is able to see that the familiar feast was not had without great struggle.  Squanto had been captured, enslaved, lost his family, and still survives despite the hardships he had endured.  It is apparent that the Englishmen and Native Americans did not immediately form a bond, but it took many meetings and careful diplomacy from both sides.  Readers will be interested to learn about the journey of a famous Native American in this historically accurate version of the First Thanksgiving.

This story is rich with cultural markers beginning with the clothing seen throughout the story.  The pilgrims are dressed in well-worn clothes in drab colors.  The Native Americans wear a variety of clothing items including fur shawls, tall boots, woven belts, and bead necklaces.  Shed's gouache illustrations have a weathered quality that seems fitting for the historical events in this story.  Shed carefully depicts a variety of garments and accessories, as well as facial features and hairstyles.  The Wampanoag men are not adorned with the typical headdresses full of feathers, but a few feathers hanging in their hair earned in battle.  Even the food depicted in a double-page spread appears to be rustic and authentic with muted, warm colors.  

Through these cultural markers, this book could dispel some misinformation that readers have heard regarding this part of American history. In the Author's Note, Tingle explains that Squanto's story is "an incredible saga of both survival and acceptance" which is why he is such an intriguing historical figure.  Squanto was able to bridge the broad chasm between the Native American and English cultures and "live successfully" in both worlds.  This book is a must-read for children studying the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday.

4. Review Excerpts

HORN BOOK GUIDE (April 2001) "Squanto's tale is told with respect and dignity, without glossing over the more difficult aspects of his life or the relationships between the native inhabitants and the colonists." 

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (November 2000) "Shed's full-page gouache illustrations are beautifully executed in golden, autumnal tones. There is a richness of detail in the pictures that echoes the passion for historical accuracy in costume and interior-and-exterior dwellings."

5. Connections

• This story could be compared and contrasted to another version of the First Thanksgiving, so that students could examine the differences in a story told from the Pilgrims' versus the Native American point of view.
• If students enjoyed this book, then they could read other titles from Joseph Bruchac's large collection of Native American stories such as Thirteen Moons on a Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons.