Here’s a review from Booklist
Two Bad Pilgrims. Lasky, Kathryn (Author) , Manders, John (Illustrator) Aug 2009. 40 p. Viking, hardcover, $16.99. (9780670061686).
Lasky turns the notion that all Pilgrims were prim goody-goodies on its head by introducing the real-life Billington family, who were known aboard the Mayflower for “using foul language and for their generally poor behavior.” A stuffy-looking professor narrates the half-fiction, half-nonfiction story of the Billington sons, Johnny and Francis, while weathering frequent pestering and asides from the reckless boys themselves. They get into all manner of trouble while stuck aboard the ship for so many months, and if anything, pick up their mischievous pace once settled in Plymouth. The comic-book style of the artwork—cartoony characters, speech balloons, and action broken up into panels—will help attract kids who may be resistant to history books. All the while, the boys’ rascally antics make for a light and humorous tone that should keep attentions invested throughout. An obvious choice for early social studies units, this book does a solid job of showing, rather than just telling, that history can be more lively than it may seem. A fine author’s note seperates fact from fancy. — Ian Chipman
Booklist
