1607 is a decent overview of the founding of Jamestown, with photos from Historic Jamestowne reenactment park and archaeological excavations. It leans a little heavily towards the "both were in the wrong" view of interactions between the settlers and the people already living there, which oversimplifies things I think, but for late-elementary-aged children, it's not bad read alongside other books about the time period. ( )

I read this to my nearly 8yo as part of a history lesson. We both found it informative. My son was particularly struck by the idea of a person being skinned alive. Luckily history has many such gems for children to learn about. ( )

In 1994, scientists unearthed important new evidence about the original Jamestown fort. The work is ongoing and has changed many established ideas about the early settlers. 1607 incorporates these findings and offers a fascinating look at archaeology in action. Color photographs of costumed interpreters and re-created buildings from the Jamestown Settlement living-history museum depict both English and Native American ways of life. Varying perspectives of the period are represented, including evidence that suggests that Native women married English settlers and lived at the fort; how the arrival of English women changed the dynamics of the settlement; and the importance of indentured servants versus the relatively small presence of African slaves.
TCI LESSON 6: A BOAT AND BUS TOUR OF THE SOUTHEAST

This was a very informative book that could be read to a class to supplement material learned in textbooks. Students could also use the book for independent research in the upper elementary grades and above.

I like the additional information listed in the book explaining why so many people decided to leave England to start a new colony in the New World. It does a good job explaining the class system of England and what kinds of people first arrived. I also learned some interesting facts such as many men married Indian women in the beginning which helped keep the peace at first. Also, I didn't realize that the Powhatan still bring "tribute" payments to the governor of Virginia each year in the form of deer meat to remind people that their tribe is still in existence and that they are still trying to maintain their culture. I really enjoyed this book because I felt it gave an honest account of the colony of Jamestown and depicts the cruelty of the English settlers as well as that of the Native Americans. The book lists many useful websites to visit and has photographs of the excavated site as well as recreated sites that students will find interesting. This is the second National Geographic series published book that I have read;I will definitely look for more. ( )

As students, we learn the bare bones basics about Jamestown. We learn about Powhatan and his daughter, Pocahontas. We learn about John Smith and John Rolfe, but we rarely delve into the daily lives of the original 104 settlers, the struggles they face, or how Jamestown began to thrive. The book contains maps of the original settlement, the exact and relative locations of the colony, and pictures of the excavations being done at the historical site. The book details the interactions between the Europeans and the Powhatan Indians. It includes an anecdote about a Powhatan shaman predicting the defeat of Powhatan at the hands of a tribe from Chesapeake. As a precautionary measure, Powhatan kills the Chesapeake Indians; however, the tribe from Chesapeake consisted of Europeans. Another little know fact about interactions between Jamestown and Powhatan is young boys were sent from the colony to live with the Powhatans to learn the language and the many marriages between Powhatan women and Jamestown men.