Jean Fritz built her reputation writing well-researched, nonromanticized books of history for children. This biography of Pocahontas, originally published in the early 1980s, shows that her reputation is well earned. Through careful use of historical documentation and clear identification of supposition from fact, the listener is given a balanced look at the first interaction of English settlers and Native Americans. Melissa Hughes reads the story with a tone of authority and compassion for all of the characters. She enlivens Pocahontas, a girl curious about these strangers who have come to her land. The listener comes away with admiration for a young woman, a pawn of both sides, who tried to bridge two cultures. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
