Americans Before Columbus
File:Cover art for Americans Before Columbus.jpg
Dust jacket of the hard-cover edition showing the Newbery Medallion
AuthorElizabeth Baity
IllustratorEliza Wheeler
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy, Young-adult Fiction, Gothic Fiction
PublisherViking Press, Scholastic Corporation
Publication date
1968
Media typePrint
Pages272 pages pp
ISBN9781416963981

Americans Before Columbus by Elizabeth Baity is a children's book about the history of pre-Columbian cultures in America. It was published in 1951 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1952.[1]

Plot edit

The story takes place with historical events of Americans before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world in 1492. Many Indian cultures in America go through great but also sad stories from events such as the Ice Age and Asians arriving to the new continent of North America by people traveling the Bering Strait, a section between the Arctic Ocean near Russia to the Pacific Ocean and Alaska. Along the way, an archeologist has a notebook that would bring great thrills to his life. His notebook shows moments in history and fate that is determined from different Indian cultures that have yet to be revealed. Each chapter discusses the lives of hunters from earlier times, to moundbuilders and basketweavers who were both the South and Western parts of North America. The story includes Native American groups such as Aztecs, Iroquois, Mayans and Incas who through each of their chapters discuss the role of mankind in their lives. The stories show the experiences of people and the role of archeology in people’s own life.

Characters edit

  • Christopher Columbus-- The famous Italian explorer who is best remembered in history for traveling to the New World.
  • Aztecs-- A well known Native American tribe from many places in Latin America.
  • Iroquois-- This tribe is another group of Native Americans who lived in the Northeastern section of the United States. Many settled in states such as New York.
  • Mayans-- A Native American tribe known in Latin America and lived in some parts of Latin America such as Mexico.
  • Incas-- Another Native American tribe that live in the continent of South America.

Critical Reception edit

Awards edit

Newberry Honor Award in 1952.

See Also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 29 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-30.

1. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-chesley-baity-2/americans-before-columbus/

2. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/813753.Americans_Before_Columbus

3. http://www.penguin.com/meet/publishers/vikingchildrensbooks/

4. http://www.ebooklibrary.org/articles/americans_before_columbus

Category:1952 books Category:American children's books Category:Children's history books Category:Pre-Columbian studies books Category:Newbery Honor-winning works