Why the West Was Wild. Wayne Swanson. Toronto, Annick Press, 2004. 46 pp., pbk. & cl., $14.95 (pbk.), $24.95(cl.). ISBN 1-55037-836-8 (pbk.), ISBN 1-55037-837-6 (cl.). Subject Headings: West (U.S.)-Social life and customs-19th century-Juvenile literature. Frontier and pioneer life-West(U.S.)-Juvenile literature. West (U.S.)-History-19th century-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-8 / Ages 10-13. Review by Grace Sheppard. *** /4

excerpt:

As soon as the grass turned green in the early spring, the cowboys headed out. For three to four months, they spent 12 hours a day in the saddle, breathing the dust kicked up by the cattle. They lived on beef stew, beans, and biscuits, and tolerated coffee “hot as hell, black as sin, and strong as death” because it masked the taste of the bad water along the trail. And every night they slept under the open sky.

Despite the hard work and low pay, these “knights of the plains” enjoyed respect for their courage and endurance. They lived by a code of honor that valued loyalty, respect, and independence.

Home, home on the range indeed! In Why the West Was Wild, Wayne Swanson describes the lawless, claim-jumping, gun-fighting push for the west across the interior of America in the mid-1800s. Discouraging words must have abounded for the settlers, cowboys, lawmakers, and outlaws who fought their way through nature and each other to stake claims for land, gold, and power.

     Swanson uses two-page chapters to take on a multitude of topics that, together, offer a comprehensive look at westward expansion. Swanson covers the government’s reasons for encouraging settlers to push west, the many difficulties associated with crossing vast amounts of land at that time, good guys, bad guys, dance-hall girls, and more. Particularly well-done are the chapters that describe Native American people and customs and the conflicts that were caused by the influx of American settlers. The chapters, which use a blend of text and illustrations, flow well from one topic to the next. This is Swanson’s first book for young people; he does a great job of keeping the text clear, fast-moving and always respectful of the reader’s abilities and interests.

     The illustrations in this book deserve special notice. Each chapter uses at least three or four primary source illustrations including a patent drawing for barbed wire, an oil painting of a gang holding up a coach, a reward poster for Billy the Kid ($5,000.00!) and a photograph of notorious outlaws. These illustrations are given the space and size they merit, and they really bring the period to life. Illustrations are set off from the text with coloured backgrounds that match the colour of the text of the chapter headings. The clean design adds to the interesting text and amazing illustrations to make this book very appealing both for project work and for browsing.

Recommended.

Grace Sheppard is a Children’s Librarian with the Ottawa Public Library in Ottawa, ON.

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

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - June 4, 2004.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME