Off Like the Wind! The First Ride of the Pony Express

Off Like the Wind!  The First Ride of the Pony Express

Written by Michael P. Spradlin

Illustrated by Layne Johnson

Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 2010

33 pages

Nonfiction

            How long do you think it takes for mail to be sent across the country?  A few days or so?  Earlier in American history, it took a lot longer for mail to be delivered.  Most mail was sent by ship, and it would take months for it to get from one place to another.  In 1860, the mail delivery system was changed forever; that is when the Pony Express began.  Mail was carried across the country on horseback, and the time it took for mail to be delivered was greatly reduced.  What do you think happened on the first ride of the Pony Express?  Read Off Like the Wind! by Michael P. Spradlin to find out!

            I really enjoyed Layne Johnson’s illustrations in this book.  He created these beautiful illustrations by using oils on canvas.  He employed a realistic style while painting these pictures; they look almost life-like!  Each illustration accurately depicts what is being described by the text on that page.  Most of his illustrations are doublespreads, but some of them only occupy one page.  Students will really enjoy these life-like illustrations while reading this book.  I know that I did!

            Off Like the Wind! would be a great addition to any classroom ranging from second grade to sixth grade, depending on how it is used.  It could be read aloud at any of these grade levels, but most students would not be able to read it by themselves in the younger grades due to the size of the text, the amount of text on a page, and the difficulty of the text.  This book could be read aloud to supplement a social studies lesson about the Pony Express.  Students would be able to relate to it more than they could their textbook.  Students could also use this book as a resource when writing an essay about the Pony Express; there are many facts in this book that would be very useful.  This book could also be used to initiate a writing activity.  The teacher could ask the students to pretend that they are a rider on the Pony Express and write a journal entry about what they have experienced on the trail.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I feel that it would be a great addition to any teacher’s collection.