Pioneer Settlers of New France

By: George Ancona
Publisher: Lodestar Books, 1990
Age Level: 8-12
Language: English
ISBN: 0-525-25605-9

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For Jean François Lelange and Pierre André, the summer of 1744 is one they will long remember. As Jean waits for his uncle’s merchant ships to return with much-needed supplies, Pierre worries that his father, a fishing proprietor, has no food to give his hungry fishermen. Has France really gone to war against the British, as rumored?

Set in Louisbourg, a French settlement in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada, this dramatic story—generously illustrated with evocative photographs—depicts what life was like there in 1744, when the French were plunged into war against the British for control of North America.

Joan Anderson and George Ancona—acclaimed for their books featuring interpreters who re-create the past—skillfully bring history to life and shed light on the French role in the settling of North America in this rich and stunning book.

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Black-and-white photographs of costumed actors are scattered profusely in this brief look at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, during the final years of King George’s war. Together, the illustrations and the fictionalized dialogue make this historical period come alive, particularly with regard to the impact the war had on the lives of the inhabitants of the French colony. Teenage sons of a merchant and a fisherman learn firsthand how detrimental delays in the arrival of ships could be for themselves as well as for the rest of Louisbourg. Most useful as a social studies supplement, this title will need adult input to place the information chronologically, since the sole mention of the year of these events, 1744, is found in the introduction.
–School Library Journal