 
|
Author Kathleen Krull and illustrator David Diaz have created a beautiful retelling of the classic story of a young Powhatan girl who risks her own life to save that of Captain John Smith.
In this version, Krull gives an overview of Pocahontas’s life as child growing up in the still-unspoiled Chesapeake Bay. We all recall that, just as Captain Smith was about to be killed by Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas threw herself between the invader and the executioners. Krull, however, makes an interesting point: “What had Pocahontas just done? She may have been playing a role in some strategy or ritual. But the only eyewitness account we have is Smith’s. He believed he was about to be killed and that she was too compassionate to let it happen.”
Krull goes on to tell young readers about the succeeding years, during which John Smith disappeared from Pocahontas’s life and another European stepped in to become her husband. Eventually the young Powhatan girl traveled to England and learned to live as a European herself.
Pocahontas: Princess of the New World is an excellent retelling, full of lush illustrations and perfectly integrated details. Perhaps I’ve just forgotten the full story, but many of the details in this version surprised me. Krull has done her research and provided both author notes and a bibliography.
Her thoroughness makes for a far more compelling tale than the happy little love story I remember from my youth and gives readers a chance to follow up on the reality of the times and the challenges faced by both the Native Americans and the Europeans who came to stay.
|
|
Pocahontas: Princess of the New World