We can learn much from the true spiritual giants. GM was one of them. Through the Spirit and discipline he succeeded to serve God in spirit and in truth. It's doable!

THIS BOOK IS A GOOD BOOK TO READ TO YOUR FAMILY AND READ TO YOUR FRIENDS AND ASK THEM TO READ IT TO THERE FRIENDS ASK THEM TO READ TO THERE FREINDS AND ASK THEM TO IT TO THERE MOM AND DAD.

The story of "Miles Standish: Plymouth Colony Leader" is really the story of the Pilgrims from more of a military perspective. After all, Standish was the Colony's military leader, one of the "Strangers" who was never one of the "Saints," as the Pilgrims called themselves. In fact, Standish became the only leader of the Plymouth Colony who never joined the Pilgrim church. Young readers of Susan Martins Miller's juvenile biography will probably get a more detailed look at the relationship between the Pilgrims and the Indians than they have ever read before. Certainly Miller gets well beyond what little will be mentioned in an American History textbook, even touching upon Standish's infamous temper and his nickname of "Captain Shrimp." This book is illustrated with historic paintings, drawings and etchings of the Pilgrims (several of which actually depict Standish), as well as contemporary photographs of the Plymouth Plantation, the restored Pilgrim town where actors portray the colonists. One of the other volumes in the Colonial Leaders series focuses on William Bradford, the governor of the Plymouth Colony; it will be interesting to see how it serves as a complementary account of the religious and political story of the Pilgrims.

If you like historical novels and also enjoy a good murder mystery, then this is a must read! You will be transcended back in time to the days of the pilgrims with lives complicated by far more modern problems. This interesting blend coupled with the author's wonderfully descriptive writing style makes the book come to life. The ending was a real surprise. Suggest that you reread the first chapter at the end to see just how intricately this tale was spun!

N.C. Wyeth studied under Howard Pyle, the father of American illustration, and it clearly shows in this book about the Pilgrims. In 1940 Wyeth was commissioned by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in New York to paint the murals used to illustrate this book, completing fourteen murals in five years before dying in a car accident. Wyeth proposed a historical series entitled "The Ballad of America" that would begin with the Pilgrims and continue through the California gold rush, but Met Life decided to limit the series to the Plymouth colony. Wyeth challenging the prevailing belief of Pilgrim society as unremittingly grim by painting scenes that reflected his romantic and lyrical style. He expanded his original vision to include scenes of wildlife, trying to give an idea of the beautiful land the Pilgrims found in the New World.

This book was inspired in part by the restoration of the murals in 1984. The text accompanying the illustrations is by Robert San Souci, who provides details on what is known about the real pilgrims. While not as dramatic as the illustrations he did for "Treasure Island," "Robin Hood," and "The Last of the Mohicans," these murals have their moments. Particularly memorable is one of the Pilgrims standing on a hill, watching a ship sail back to England. The mural of Thanksgiving seems odd because there is only one Indian seated at the long table awaiting the turkey (while the text recalls how "Chief Massasoit arrived with ninety men, women, and children"). Young readers will learn something about the Pilgrims from reading this book, but the chief charm is clearly the murals by Wyeth. Certainly these deserve to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

I am a big fan of Kate Waters' books, "Samuel Eaton's Day" and "Sarah Morton's Day". It was with great excitement that I found this book to accompany them ! All too many books about the pilgrims either portray them as "Evil bigots" or as the glossed over "wouldn't it be fun to be a pilgrim ?" portrayal. I enjoy all of these books because they give an accurate, historical representation of the times. ON THE MAYFLOWER, in particular, gives both a peek into the day to day living on board the ship, as well as the view as seen from a child's perspective. I highly reccomend this book !

This book is a wonderful story for the preschool crowd. It is sung to the old Ten Little Indians, but is a little more multicultural. It shows(with very cute illustrations) the Pilgrim & Wampanoag Indian children ina positive yet accurate light, and also depicts the different foods that were eaten at the first thanksgiving.

I read this book after having just visited Plymouth, Massachussets, and studying about the Pilgrims. Even though the story is fiction it is woven into factual history and gives the reader an awesome look into the personalities and qualities of the people who lived this historical event. This book barely makes it back home before someone else asks to borrow it. I love history/fiction combinations and this is one of the best I have read.

It was interesting to read this Cornerstones of Freedom volume on "The Pilgrims" after having read the companion volume on "The Jamestown Colony." Both colonies lost half their settlers during their first winter in the New World and it becomes clear that the chief reason the Plymouth Colony continued to thrive into the next century was because of the assistance given the Pilgrims by Squanto and the Wampanaoag tribe. R. Conrad Stein explains how the Puritan Separatists from Scrooby, England came to travel on the Mayflower with a group of "Strangers" (farmers and tradesmen looking for a better life in the new land). When they arrived at Cape Cod there was a bitter debate over whether to land here or head south to be closer to Jamestown. After drawing up and signing the Mayflower Compact, the colonists found a suitable location for building a settlement. On December 30, 1620 the Pilgrims stepped onto the soil at Plymouth in the middle of a harsh New England winter where pneumonia decimated their numbers. Ironically, historians think a scarlet fever epidemic had ravaged the area a couple of years earlier, thereby explaining why the white settlers were able to establish Plymouth. Stein devotes the rest of this juvenile history to explaining how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims to survive, the history of the first Thanksgiving, and the legend of Plymouth Rock. This book is illustrated with paintings and drawings of the Pilgrims as well as contemporary photographs of the re-created Plymouth Colony that tourists can visit in the area today. As is the rule with these Cornerstones of Freedom volumes, Stein provides details and insights about "The Pilgrims" beyond what you are going to get in your standard American History textbook. Whether you are a teacher or a student, you will find useful information for class lectures or assignment papers alike. This is an excellent series of books.

As Andrew Santella points out in the conclusion of this "We the People" volume on "The Plymouth Colony,' while the Pilgrims were not the first European settlers in America, they have come to represent the pioneer spirit of all colonists and "Partly as a result of their hard work and determination, freedom and self-government became part of the American tradition." Illustrated with historic engravings and photographs of the Plymouth Plantation site, this informative little book goes well beyond the standard details covered in American History textbooks regarding the Pilgrims. Yes, you were learn once again about the First Thanksgiving, but Santella also provides young readers a solid background on the Scrooby Separatists and explains how the Mayflower was really trying to reach what is now New Jersey, to avoid being too close to the colonists at Jamestown, and ended up at Cape Cod by accident. I have read several juvenile histories by Santelle, and he is clearly on of the better writers in this field. The "We the People" series has a corresponding volume on "The Jamestown Colony" by Brendan January that is also excellent. Each book features a glossary, listings of important dates and people, a Did You Know? section, Want to Know More? resources, and an index.