Gone West: Bold Adventures of American Explorers and Pioneers

by Jim Weiss, Jim Weiss (Read by)

Overview

America's founders dreamed of a day when the United States would reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Follow their dream into reality, as Jim Weiss thrillingly tells these stories of explorers, Native Americans, and pioneers.

Follow the saga of American exploration, from Jefferson and Monroe securing the Louisiana Purchase through the bold explorations of Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea. Experience the dawning of a new age aboard Robert Fulton's steamboat, and ride the rumbling wagons of the Oregon Trail pioneers. Feel the devastating effects faced by proud Native American warriors, and witness the mammoth undertaking of the transcontinental railroad. Journey with the brave souls who hung out the sign, "Gone West".

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781942968696
Publisher:	The Well-Trained Mind Press
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Series:	The Jim Weiss Audio Collection
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 4.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

In 1989, Jim Weiss set out on a mission: to record the greatest stories he knew from world literature and history, and inspire families — especially young listeners — with a passionate love of the original classics. In the three decades since then, Jim's narration voice and seemingly numberless character voices have formed foundational entertainment and education for millions of listeners around the world.Winning hundreds of awards, Jim’s recordings range on the literary side from fairy tales through stories from Shakespeare, Dickens and Conan Doyle, while his history recordings bring to vivid life major historical events and personalities from the ancient world through the twentieth century.The inspiration for all this began early, with parents and grandparents who told stories and read aloud to him, skills which Jim joyously acquired, and which led him to a degree in Communications and Speech from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Later, his wife, Randy, earned her own national awards as a teacher and counselor, and their shared passion for learning led to forming their company in 1989, long before the explosion of spoken word recordings made this a "sensible" decision. The recordings began winning listeners and national awards from the first. A few years ago, the Weiss's licensed their recordings and business operations to Well-Trained Mind Press, which has successfully introduced Jim's work into still more markets, while Jim continues to write, record, teach and perform.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3–6—Master storyteller Jim Weiss recounts his own version of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. After acquiring vast unexplored territories in the Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson picks Meriwether Lewis to lead the Corps for Northwestern Discovery. Lewis chooses his friend William Clark, and together they select the adventurers who will accompany them from St. Louis across the Great Plains, through Indian territories, along the Missouri River, and over the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Sacajawea plays a significant part in their journey's success. While this is the primary story told in nine consecutive parts, four much shorter stories follow, each independent of the others. These tell of Robert Fulton's steamboat, a wagon train on the Oregon Trail, a buffalo hunt by the Lakota tribe, and the making of the transcontinental railroad. Weiss creates individual voices for the explorers and pioneers, and his well-paced narration brings their stories to life. A rich resource for social studies units on this period.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

School Library Journal

Jim Weiss infuses facts about the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery, and the growth of the Transcontinental Railroad with a dose of his signature storytelling—and the result is a vibrant discourse on a period of American history. Weiss has a knack for bringing characters to life and for choosing distinct moments to dramatize: Thomas Jefferson explains to a flabbergasted James Monroe why he had to convince Napoleon to sell the territory of Louisiana. William Clark runs the rapids of the Columbia River in a pirogue. A rampaging bear refuses to be stopped by explorers. Weiss brings history to life. A.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2011 - AudioFile