The Legend of New Amsterdam

The first European settlers to the island that is now called Manhattan lived in crude makeshift shelters. But gradually the village of New Amsterdam developed, and by 1660 it had 300 buildings and over 1500 people–and it was still growing!

Now Caldecott-winner Peter Spier brings this thriving little metropolis alive for young readers. He takes them through the bustling streets, pointing out the schoolhouse and the market place, the shipyards and the sawmill. He introduces them to the local residents–the glass blower, the smithy, the carpenter, the miller. And he tells them the legend of Crazy Annie Bogardus, a lonely old woman with an uncanny vision of things to come. A charming and colorfully detailed portrait of city life on Manhattan island over 300 years ago.