Bewildered for Three Days: As to Why Daniel Boone Never Wore His Coonskin Cap

I have been looking for books that would introduce stories that tell something about Early American times. Since my children are young (boy and girl; 3 and 5) I am more interested in giving the `flavor' of the times without being particularly stuck on historical accuracy. The first book that I found that we liked was Aliki's "Johnny Appleseed". Andrew Glass' "Bewildered for Three Days" is the second. In this book, Glass weaves a tale (definitely fictional) of why Daniel Boone didn't really wear a coonskin cap-although the cap is one of the things he is known for. In this story, Glass touches on what life was like in the 1700's. He talks about how there were Indians who were friends and Indians who weren't. Boone is shown with a childhood friend who, as a Delaware, showed him woodcraft. "Little Beaver returned often. We wrestled and practiced tracking animals silently as shadows in the woods. Little Beaver taught me to listen well to the chatter, chirps , and croaks in the forest." Pros - --Story is interesting and an easy read-aloud. It uses some archaic speech - thee and thou - but just here and there. Enough to be interesting and educational, it doesn't bog the story down at all. --The book touches on country life - log cabins and farming - as well as on what sort of things occurred which led to arguments between the settlers and the established peoples. --There is a nice Author's Note at the end of the book (as well as a map which shows the Cumberland Gap) which summarizes current research on Daniel Boone - when he lived, what he did, his family life. I found it to be a good refresher, reminding me of details that I could point out to my children. Possible Cons - --There is an element of violence. Boone as a boy is chased by angry Indians and awakened by an angry bear. There is nothing graphic, and I, personally, just glossed over it. --The artwork is impressionistic and some younger children might not like it. Mine 5 y.o. didn't mind. --The story is told in first person which may take some adjustment for some younger children who are used to the third-person. Four Stars. A good story with lots of opportunities to teach. There is lots of action and things that children can relate to, such as friendship and forgetting to do chores. A nice introduction, though fictional, to colonial times.