Readers will enjoy delving into the exploits of intrepid explorers across time and, literally, space.
Another in the popular What the Neighbors Thought series, this title tells of daring, curious, hardy men (mostly) and women from different countries and eras who took bold risks in uncharted territories out of senses of adventure, curiosity and mission.
As a result of their courage, new maps and routes were developed; new animals, plants and merchandise were discovered—and the world changed irrevocably. Some subjects are well-known, others not so much. As with the series’ other offerings, kids will discover enticing bits about both unfamiliar explorers and those they thought they knew: Magellan was a nasty piece of work, Capt. Cook forced sauerkraut on his crew, and one of Lewis and Clark’s team mistook Lewis for an elk and shot him. The straightforward, accessible prose makes for fast reading, and Krull doesn’t shy away from some deplorable, stomach-turning facts, which kids will devour and use to spice up staid homework assignments. Some chapters end with an “Onward” feature that includes additional facts about the explorer. Hewitt’s colorful acrylic caricatures capture each adventurer’s spirit with specific details of attire, locale and, in many cases, mode of transport. Maps of many of the journeys are included; there’s no index.
Readers will enjoy delving into the exploits of intrepid explorers across time and, literally, space. (Collective biography. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-15-205910-1
Page Count: 96
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
In no particular order and using no set criteria for his selections, veteran sportscaster Berman pays tribute to an arbitrary gallery of baseball stars—all familiar names and, except for the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, retired from play for decades. Repeatedly taking the stance that statistics are just numbers but then reeling off batting averages, home-run totals, wins (for pitchers) and other data as evidence of greatness, he offers career highlights in a folksy narrative surrounded by photos, side comments and baseball-card–style notes in side boxes. Readers had best come to this with some prior knowledge, since he casually drops terms like “slugging percentage,” “dead ball era” and “barnstorming” without explanation and also presents a notably superficial picture of baseball’s history—placing the sport’s “first half-century” almost entirely in the 1900s, for instance, and condescendingly noting that Jackie Robinson’s skill led Branch Rickey to decide that he “was worthy of becoming the first black player to play in the majors.” The awesome feats of Ruth, Mantle, the Gibsons Bob and Josh, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and the rest are always worth a recap—but this one’s strictly minor league. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3886-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
A spirited biography untangles the accretion of myth and story around Pocahontas and makes clear what little is actually known and what fragments of the historical record are available. The text is rich in illustration and in sidebars (on longhouses, colonial diet, weaponry and so on) that illuminate the central narrative. Whether Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life directly or as part of an elaborate ritual might not matter, argues Jones. Pocahontas and her people were certainly responsible for keeping the English settlement of Jamestown from starvation. Relations between English settlers and Native people were uneasy at best, and the author traces these carefully, relating how Pocahontas was later kidnapped by the British and held for ransom. When none was forthcoming, she was converted both to English ways and the Christian religion, marrying the widower John Rolfe and traveling to England, where Pocahontas saw John Smith once again and died at about the age of 21. An excellent stab at myth busting and capturing the nuances of both the figure and her times. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6844-6
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
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