cute story. Nice to go back and relive stories that my children enjoyed ( )

Pocahontas is a classic Disney movie and was based on the true story of Pocahontas. This book was a nice quick read and I loved the illustrations because they are just like the ones in the movie. This is a very simplistic version of the movie and would recommend it as a read aloud for a second grader. ( )

This Pocahontas trade book tells a simplified version of the movie Pocahontas. It tells the tale of John Smith and his English crew coming to America, and trying to take the land from Pocahontas’s people. Pocahontas and John end up falling in love, and she saves his life. It also has sound effects that go with the story nicely. The sound effects are a really good idea, because then children can absorb the story in more than one way. I think this story is a representation of how badly the Indians were treated by English settlers, although it is greatly inaccurate. I do not think this should be used in school because of this reason. Children should get correct information about history, but I think the book would be okay for free reading. The illustrations were just like the movie Pocahontas, so I liked them. ( )

ISBN 0307302008 – Illustrations by Don Williams, fantastic. Standard Disney quality, vibrant colors and even a slightly delicate touch to some of the images. The story, though… I love the Pocahontas story and I admire Disney for trying. I don’t think they did it very well here, and I can’t blame adapter Justine Korman, who had a lot to pack into very few pages.

Pocahontas is expected to marry Kocoum, a man chosen by her father, but she feels that this isn’t the right path for her. Grandmother Willow, a tree spirit, encourages her to follow her heart and her dreams. These lead her to meet John Smith, a man who has just arrived from England on a ship that is looking for gold. When it begins to look like their people plan to go to war, Pocahontas and Smith attempt to put a stop to it and risk death to keep peace.

The jump from Pocahontas and John Smith speaking different languages to them conversing freely is rather abrupt. Overall, the book tries so hard to cover so much material that it really doesn’t do the story justice. Fans of the Disney movie will enjoy the book and they’re the important audience. If it gets them reading, it’s a good thing; for a better thing, buy ISBN 0307128865, another edition of the same tale.

- AnnaLovesBooks ( )

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