As a young girl, Sacajawea was separated from her family when she was captured by a band of Minnetaree warriors and taken to be their slave. Several years later, she was bought by a French fur trader to be his wife. Then, in 1804, when she was only sixteen years old, Sacajawea met Lewis and Clark. Carrying her infant son on her back, Sacajawea helped guide the famous team of explorers through the uncharted terrain of the western United States. Her courageous efforts made an important contribution to America's history. Grade 5-8-- Sacajawea has long been seen as a figure of courage, daring, and adventure to youngsters. In this biography--by far the most thorough and straightforward available--Rowland covers what little is known, or can be surmised, about Sacajawea's childhood and discusses her role in the famous expedition of 1804-05. Rowland avoids sentimentality and fictionalizing, and, aside from a few minor errors, is accurate in her account. Unfortunately, her writing lacks the spark and insight that bring characters to life; her book is adequate but unexceptional, and students are not likely to turn to it for leisure reading. There is no index or bibliography; the black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout are roughly drawn; and the map lacks state boundaries, making it difficult for readers to place the expedition in context. O'Dell's historical novel Streams to the River, River to the Sea (Houghton, 1986), for the same age group, is more interesting but is highly romanticized and often misleading. --Ann W. Moore, formerly at Lane Road Library, Columbus, Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. As a young girl, Sacajawea was separated from her family when she was captured by a band of Minnetaree warriors and taken to be their slave. Several years later, she was bought by a French fur trader to be his wife. Then, in 1804, when she was only sixteen years old, Sacajawea met Lewis and Clark. Carrying her infant son on her back, Sacajawea helped guide the famous team of explorers through the uncharted terrain of the western United States. Her courageous efforts made an important contribution to America's history. As a young girl, Sacajawea was separated from her family when she was captured by a band of Minnetaree warriors and taken to be their slave. Several years later, she was bought by a French fur trader to be his wife. Then, in 1804, when she was only sixteen years old, Sacajawea met Lewis and Clark. Carrying her infant son on her back, Sacajawea helped guide the famous team of explorers through the uncharted terrain of the western United States. Her courageous efforts made an important contribution to America's history. As a young girl, Sacajawea was separated from her family when she was captured by a band of Minnetaree warriors and taken to be their slave. Several years later, she was bought by a French fur trader to be his wife. Then, in 1804, when she was only sixteen years old, Sacajawea met Lewis and Clark. Carrying her infant son on her back, Sacajawea helped guide the famous team of explorers through the uncharted terrain of the western United States. Her courageous efforts made an important contribution to America's history. Della Rowland grew up in Indiana. She then lived in Nashville before moving to New York City where she developed a passion for writing children’s books. The topics of her books vary from Martin Luther Jr., to Ireland, to fairy tales, to animals both wild and domestic. Della lives in New Jersey with her family.