Sunsets of the West by: Tony Johnston, Historical Fiction

This book is about a family in the pioneer days that left their home in New Hampshire to go out West. The family packed up all their pots and pans, food, farm tools, and loved things to head out West for their new life. They met other families headed out West who also had the same dreams as they did. However the journey to the West was not easy, many tears were shed. Tears were shed on the days when there was no rain, for the swelling rivers that carried their cows and chickens away, and for the graves they passed along the way. In the end the family sees the mountains of the West washed with dawn and know that they made the right decision. I would use this book in a classroom to help talk about the pioneer days and how hard it was on the people that settled out West.