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He Went With
He Went with Champlain
Join Tom Lee, a 12-year-old orphan from France, as he sails with Champlain in the year 1604 to explore Eastern Canada. Learn how they set up a settlement in Port Royal, before harsh winters, fights and scurvy take such a toll on the settlers that they have no choice but to move on. When they settle in Quebec, Tom must learn from the Native American people in order to survive. During his adventures, he also serves as a surgeon and interpreter and is instrumental in forming relationships between the Native Americans and France.
He is told by Champlain, the French explorer and “Learn to think and speak like an Indian… Whether the Indians become our friends or our enemies depends much on our interpreters. I will do my part in France. Do yours here.”
Louise Andrews Kent is a master storyteller, weaving historical accuracy and immersive adventure into one epic voyage of discovery. In this story she shares some atrocities, as well as the bravery, loyalty and humor of the Native Americans and French Colonists during this transformational time in Canadian history.
This new edition features all the original illustrations and clean, readable text. It is a fantastic living book teaching about history and geography, recommended for ages 10 and up.
He is told by Champlain, the French explorer and “Learn to think and speak like an Indian… Whether the Indians become our friends or our enemies depends much on our interpreters. I will do my part in France. Do yours here.”
Louise Andrews Kent is a master storyteller, weaving historical accuracy and immersive adventure into one epic voyage of discovery. In this story she shares some atrocities, as well as the bravery, loyalty and humor of the Native Americans and French Colonists during this transformational time in Canadian history.
This new edition features all the original illustrations and clean, readable text. It is a fantastic living book teaching about history and geography, recommended for ages 10 and up.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
About the author
Louise Andrews Kent
28 books10 followersLouise Andrews Kent (May 25, 1886 – August 6, 1969) was an American writer. She was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1886 and graduated, in 1909, from Simmons College School of Library Science, where she was president of her senior class and editor of the college paper.
She became a newspaper columnist and writer of children's literature, and also of cookbooks. She wrote a newspaper column, Theresa’s Tea Table, in the Boston Traveller under the pen name of Theresa Tempest, and later authored a series of cookbooks as Mrs. Appleyard.
She became a newspaper columnist and writer of children's literature, and also of cookbooks. She wrote a newspaper column, Theresa’s Tea Table, in the Boston Traveller under the pen name of Theresa Tempest, and later authored a series of cookbooks as Mrs. Appleyard.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 20, 2022
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Samuel de Champlain has always been a hero of mine. He’s one of the few historical characters of whom everyone, without exception, speaks well, regardless of nationality or age. I was delighted with how he was portrayed here—courageous, prudent, hardworking, just, calm, honest, faithful… Tom was an excellent main character as well. He was a remarkable young man and I really enjoyed following his adventures. I loved seeing Étienne and he was very well portrayed. (I can’t stop thinking about what Aenons said about him after his death…) I despised both Nicholas. I loved Moon Rises and Small Arrow and Onienta, and really, all the characters were well done and very alive.
The writing style was … interesting. It was oddly inconsistent, yet the French was very well done (she included the accents AND the pronunciation!) and there were some really nice parts. The recital of Champlain’s travels in Canada, from the first one in 1604 to his death in 1635, was very well done—it flowed well and was interesting, full of anecdotes—storylike while still being a biography.
The ending was poignantly sweet and well done. I almost teared up at the last few paragraphs. What a beautiful testimony to a true hero… a man who founded a great country and a colony that is steeped in heroism and beauty.
Content: graphic torture details.
A Favourite Quote: Once Tom said to him, “Tell me how it is that you and all your tribe can suffer so many hardships and never complain.”
Onienta smiled and said, “Our chiefs teach us that if we complain about a misfortune, we suffer it twice—once when it happens, again when we complain about it. They tell us it is better to say nothing and be ready to meet what comes next.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: Tom almost forgot the locksmiths’ plot that hot, blue and gold September afternoon. He had seen the leaves turn before at St. Croix and Port Royal but they had never looked so beautiful to him as they did along the St. Lawrence. The orange and scarlet of sugar maples shone brilliantly against dark forests of fir and hemlock. The birches Captain Testa had shown him were beginning to turn to gold. Across the river, maples were deep crimson, almost purple. There was purple too on the mountains north of the St. Lawrence and the river itself was a deep rippling blue.
The writing style was … interesting. It was oddly inconsistent, yet the French was very well done (she included the accents AND the pronunciation!) and there were some really nice parts. The recital of Champlain’s travels in Canada, from the first one in 1604 to his death in 1635, was very well done—it flowed well and was interesting, full of anecdotes—storylike while still being a biography.
The ending was poignantly sweet and well done. I almost teared up at the last few paragraphs. What a beautiful testimony to a true hero… a man who founded a great country and a colony that is steeped in heroism and beauty.
Content: graphic torture details.
A Favourite Quote: Once Tom said to him, “Tell me how it is that you and all your tribe can suffer so many hardships and never complain.”
Onienta smiled and said, “Our chiefs teach us that if we complain about a misfortune, we suffer it twice—once when it happens, again when we complain about it. They tell us it is better to say nothing and be ready to meet what comes next.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: Tom almost forgot the locksmiths’ plot that hot, blue and gold September afternoon. He had seen the leaves turn before at St. Croix and Port Royal but they had never looked so beautiful to him as they did along the St. Lawrence. The orange and scarlet of sugar maples shone brilliantly against dark forests of fir and hemlock. The birches Captain Testa had shown him were beginning to turn to gold. Across the river, maples were deep crimson, almost purple. There was purple too on the mountains north of the St. Lawrence and the river itself was a deep rippling blue.
October 3, 2025
When I read a book like this I think, what bravery, courage, perseverance, and strength early explorers had in discovering new lands. The hardships endured, lack of food, supplies, fear of being killed, was all part of the journey of discovering the many lakes and rivers throughout Canada and what is now parts of America.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews