I absolutely loved this book! The cryptic rhyme is unmatched by any other. Very informative and fun to read! Young and old will enjoy reading this story and learning.

I can't wait to read more work by this author. Way to go Verla Kay! It was absolutely wonderful.

Tight. Spare. Exacting. With great care and skill, author Verla Kay artfully recounts the long, complex, and often confusing story of the building of the transcontinental railway -- in fewer than 200 words! "Railroad barons, Visions, dreams. Thinking, planning, Plotting schemes. Politicians, Congress, vote. 'Build your railroad,' Lincoln wrote." Wow! Even in its simplicity, this book entertains, informs, and makes history come alive. With the help of striking, dramatic illustrations, it shrieks and whistles and pounds and thumps while serving up information in palatable, chewy bites. A welcome introduction to the fabulous adventure that the study of history can be. Kids, as well as stuffy old historians, are bound to love this book!

This writer manages to tell the maximum story in the minimum words. Art is excellent & fits well with words. Good introduction to railroads.

With perfect rhyme and rhythm Verla Ray has created a gem of a book to be enjoyed for generations to come. I love it, my kids ask for it almost everynight, and their grandparents are buying it for all their other grandkids for christmas. We are so impressed with this book which teaches about a mostly ignored subject(pinoneering) - and the kids enjoy the ride so much they don't even realise they're learning! I could not recommend this any higher! I hope very school has a copy! A must-read for every American child!

Verla Kay has done it again! She's created a brilliant rhyming picture book that works great in the classroom and is also a delightful choice for a bedtime story. COVERED WAGONS, BUMPY TRAILS is the vivid, touching, enjoyable story of a pioneer family moving West. Readers will fall in love with "Mother, Father and Baby John" as they journey in search of a new home. Their struggles and triumphs come alive in sparse "cryptic rhyme" verse, such as: "Plunging, slipping, Stuck in snow. Frozen wheels, "Oxen, WHOA!" And the art by S. D. Schindler is fabulous with colorful kid-appeal. This is a wonderful book that you won't want to miss! When you reach the final page, you'll smile at the absolute PERFECT ending.

Verla Kay has a gift for telling history with just enough "perfect" words. The words conjure up beautiful pictures and are translated to paper by illustrator Dan Andreasen. The children will love this book and the painless way it teaches the past. I strongly recommend this book.

It's the 1600's and Thomas, Edward, and Mary Jane are headed across the ocean from England to the New World. The voyage is harsh, which the author, Verla Kay, describes in sparse rhyming stanzas that reflect the bareness of the pilgrim's living quarters, meals, and clothing.
As the young family arrives in the new world, we rejoice with them. And as they give thanks, we recall the sacrifices of our forefathers who paved the way for all of us today.
Andreasen's artwork is stunning, capturing the feel of the rough ocean voyage in muted watercolors.
This book would be a great addition to a colonial American history lesson.

Verla Kay's pristine "cryptic rhyme" captures the grace of a fallen nation. Told through exuberant Broken Feather's experiences, the Europeans expansion into Nez Perce's relegation to reservations, the prose captures glimpses into a time past. Stephen Alcorn's illustrations are earthy, textural and spiritual all at once. Words, colored images, text and textures all mesh to tell the tale. In Kay's own words, she hopes to "show the experience and some of the joy and pride of the Nez Perce" and a little bit the Native American experience of European expansion. Great reading for beginners to anyone who loves picture books!

Gold Fever is a short, but unforgetable book. In very few words it tells the story of Jasper, who starts out to find gold in California but finds only hard, discouraging work. His return home to a loving family is a satisfying conclusion. An unusual view of history and one that young children can enjoy. I have read this book to second grade classes and the response has been delight and requests to "read it again". The pictures are just right and add delightful humor to the text.

After my kids and I read this book, we all had a lot of questions about the Gold Rush and wanted to learn more. We found it funny and interesting. It's one my kids want to read over and over- probably because of her rhymes. This book makes an excellent birthday present too!

A real pleasure to read, with vivid, bouncy rhyme and great illustrations. Jasper's encounter with the bear was a particular hit . A short, fun book -- parents take note!

I have done much research on the colonial period. It never ceases to amaze me how the children's books bring it all home so much more powerfully than any history book.

Wonderful.