I didn't want to add children's books to my list, but I'm going to. This book was for my youngest and it was so good I had to read it again. Then again the next night. And we had to discuss different parts of the story after each reading. It is that good!
Can you imagine escaping for your life?
Can you imagine escaping to the wilderness and running from the Ohio River to Richmond, KY? (approx 160miles)
Can you imagine doing this in four days?
Can you imagine doing this and eating only one meal of bison?
The author is great too! ( )

Author: Michael P. Spardlin
Title: Daniel Boone's Great Escape
Illustrator: Ard Hoyt
Publisher: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.
2008
32 pages
Literary Genre: Biography
Daniel Boone was trying to shoot a buffalo and then the Shawnee Indians caught him and took him back to their tribe and adopted him. Then he escaped a few months later and returned home safely to Boonesborough.
This story was good. I have read some others that I enjoyed better but I liked the ending to this story.

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for Kids @ TeensReadToo.com

DANIEL BOONE'S GREAT ESCAPE is the little known story of Boone's escape from the Shawnee Indians. Author Michael P. Spradlin explains that the incident is only mentioned in one sentence of Boone's autobiography, but Spradlin recreates the adventure in this well-illustrated children's book.

Taken prisoner as part of a plan to spare his people from an attack by the Shawnee, Boone spent time living with the Indians. In the story, he describes his time in their village as "calm and peaceful," but at the same time, he knew he needed to warn his family and fellow settlers that an attack was still to come.

While he spent his time hunting alongside the Indian warriors and making friends in the village, he was plotting his escape. He hid gunpowder in his pockets, and as he helped repair the Indians' guns, he stashed various gun parts throughout the woods. When the time was right, he escaped, and with the gunpowder and a makeshift weapon, was able to make the four day, 160-mile run from Ohio into Kentucky to warn his family.

Illustrator Ard Hoyt helps bring Boone's great escape to life for the knowledge and enjoyment of today's young readers. This picture book would make an excellent addition to any library or personal book collection. ( )

Daniel Boone's Great Escape recounts his escape from the Shawnee tribe, which had held him in friendly captivity for several months. Boone escaped to warn the settlement of Boonesborough, Kentucky (where his own family resided) of an imminent attack by the Shawnee. According to the Epilogue, Boone's own account of his through the wilderness, pursued by Shawnee warriors, is as follows: "On the 16th, before sunrise, I departed in the most secret manner and arrived at Boonesborough on the 20th, after a journey of one hundred and sixty miles, during which I had but one meal."

While Daniel Boone's heroism and bravery is the heart of the story, Spradlin makes sure to highlight the Shawnee position on the white settlements. The agression of the Shawnee was a reaction to the murder of their chief at Fort Randolph, where he had traveled under a flag of truce to discuss broken treaties. Hoyt's pen and watercolor illustrations appear to depict both Whites and Indians in authentic dress and accoutrements. Life in the Shawnee village is shown as friendly and productive, while warriors and Boone alike are shown with the expected expressions - pride, anger, thoughtfulness, concern. It's clear that both author and illustrator have tried to take a balanced approach in this frontier tale.

The Epilogue contains detailed historical information, however, a bibliography or resource page would also have made a nice addition. This is a picture book for older readers, and as such, will probably receive limited use. It is not suitable as biographical material because it covers only four days in the life of Boone. It is equally unsuited as a balanced look at Westward expansion because of its limited scope. That being said, it is an interesting story and will hopefully find its niche. ( )