Walk the World's Rim

by STEVANNE P on 2009-11-16
I'm a former teacher AND librarian. This was my first year to homeschool. My daughter (9) and I LOVED this book. It was engaging, exciting, funny and gave a vivid account of life in this historical period. My daughter wanted to read this first thing each day. The two main characters are endearing and unforgettable. This one gets top ratings from me (and my daughter).

by BONNIE V on 2009-10-27
This was our first experience with Read Alouds in Sonlight. I loved it but my girls were bored. I began to wonder if I'd chosen the right curriculum. I'd heard so much about the wonderful stories included in the cores that I was excited to begin. Then we ended up struggling through. Certainly, Sonlight could choose a more engaging story to open Core 3+4.

by KENNETH B on 2009-09-02
I really would like to give this 3 1/2 stars, if that were possible. We certainly liked the book very much. I agree, it's not quite as engaging as some of the others, but the kids (ages 6, 7 and 9) and I enjoyed the story while learning a lot about friendship, pre-judging, and life as an early American. We won't soon forget Esteban and Chakoh.

by KRISTINA G on 2008-12-15
I spent most of this book disliking it quite a bit. My kids enjoyed it. Overall, I'd have to say that it was a good read, but it was painfully slow and hard to get emotionally invested into (please forgive my dangling preposition!).

by JIM H on 2008-10-02
It is too bad that this book starts off the Core 3 read alouds, as it drags on and on, pounding on the same theme through several chapters. The chapters are mostly in the 15 to 20 page range, which makes it difficult to keep the momentum going. I couldn't blame my daughter for losing interest. The tension that is never resolved between Chako and Esteban is just not believeable, and it becomes so predictable. I wanted to scream every time Chakoh demonstrated his ignorance - which happened on every other page! I would be tempted to substitute if this author's name appears again.

by KRISTINE L on 2008-08-12
This book is a slow starter, but it's ended up being one of the best books we've read in Sonlight. I have read it two times now over the years with my kids, and we got so much more out of it the second time around. I beg of you, please DO NOT SKIP THIS BOOK! I think there is a temptation to do so, but you will learn so much about friendship, core life issues and the nature of the world by reading this book. My kids and I will never forget the characters of Esteban and Chakoh. The author did a marvelous job describing the story in a readable fashion, but with deep meaning as you think about what was said. There was so much that was left between the lines of this book that we talked about and thought about. This is a truly superb book, but you have to get through the first few chapters to find out. Again, as one of the other reviewers has already said, please don't skip this one!

by KETA J on 2008-06-22
Another great book where we struggled through the beginning, and couldn't put it down before long! A fictional story based on factual characters and events. Having never experienced hunger or slavery, we gained a deeper understanding of these subjects along with an appreciation for this early history that is frequently glossed over. The children were thrilled to later find Estaban and his companions in our history workbooks; how delightful is this historical fiction! Don't skip this one!

by MELANIE B on 2008-04-01
This is a very good book. We took our time through it to talk about the book and do a little research. There is a lot of vivid detail and the boys were fascinated by the end of the book. I wouldn't have chosen this book to read had it not been for Sonlight. This book helped to spark some good conversations between my kids and I about God, very good read. I would highly recommend it.

by Kelby H. on 2008-04-01
Talk about hungry! Who knew life as a desert Native American tried the stomach as well as the spirit? Esteban's relationship with the young Indian boy is priceless. Very touching.