The Long Way Westward

This sequel to The Long Way to a New Land follows a Swedish family traveling west across America to homestead in Minnesota. Their journey is not an easy one: sometimes the cars in the emigrant train have no seats, and in Pittsburgh they have to spend the night on the station floor. But they arrive safely at their destination, happy to have left poverty and famine behind and eager to start afresh in their new land. Sandin's graceful text never condescends, and is perfectly suited (as are so many of the other fine I Can Read books) to the beginning reader. She is also a talented artist, and the story springs to life through her finely drawn pen-and-ink drawings, washed with watercolors. From the clatter and bustle of New York City to the splendor of the rich Pennsylvania farmlands and a moonlit steamboat ride up the Mississippi River, Sandin vividly captures the flavor of an emigrant family's journey as seen through a child's eyes. A map is included. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)