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JOAN OF ARC

Name: JOAN OF ARC
Author: Tabatha Yeatts
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6542-1

HEAVENLY WARRIOR

by Tabatha Yeatts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2009

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Yeatts, not a particularly skeptical biographer, portrays The Maid of Orléans as a Saint, as capable of bringing a dead baby back to life or prophesying accurately as she was of expertly conducting a siege and inspiring an army. A smooth blend of history and legend, it makes a compelling tale—especially when illustrated, as it is, with a mix of small but effective period images and documents, 19th-century paintings and modern photos of medieval locales, much in color. The author covers La Pucelle’s brief and glorious career from start to finish, highlighting Charles VII’s outrageous passivity and Joan’s heroic performance at her trial, then closes with a quick survey of her canonization and her place in literature and film. Brief one-page featurettes provide additional information on such topics as inquisition torture practices, the Maid’s physical appearance and coats of arms. Handsomely packaged and thoroughly researched, but no substitute for Polly Schoyer Brooks’ more acute and balanced Beyond the Myth (1990). (Biography. 10-13)

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4027-6542-1

Page Count: 124

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

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GREETINGS FROM ANTARCTICA

by Sara Wheeler ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1999

Wheeler offers a scrapbook-style travelogue of her seven-month stint on the world’s coldest continent. Letters to her...

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In an eye-opening companion to such works as Jennifer Armstrong’s Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World (1999) and Elizabeth Cody Kimmel’s Ice Story (p. 66) on Shackleton, readers get a contemporary look at Antarctica.

Wheeler offers a scrapbook-style travelogue of her seven-month stint on the world’s coldest continent. Letters to her godson, Daniel, describe a harsh environment so cold that dental fillings fall out. Double-page spreads dotted with full-color snapshots form short chapters on the icy region, suiting up, the difficulties of everyday existence, food and drink, shelter, transportation, entertainment, and wildlife. The last third of the volume is devoted to current scientific pursuits as well as an overview of famous expeditions to the nearly uninhabitable “bottom of the planet.” The cheery photographs – most by the author – show her dwarfed by the Barne glacier, posing with Emperor penguins, even building an igloo. While the chatty letters highlight personal details of the trip, boxed inserts provide background information. Key dates in Antarctic history complete this accessible profile, ideal as entry into units on the region. (maps, charts, diagrams, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: July 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-87226-295-2

Page Count: 44

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

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ROBERT FULTON

FROM SUBMARINE TO STEAMBOAT

by Steven Kroll ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 1999

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From Kroll (Lewis and Clark, 1994, etc.), a handsomely illustrated biography that introduces a fascinating historical figure and will make readers yearn for more information. The facts are covered, including Fulton’s stints as sign painter, air-gun inventor, and apprentice jeweler; Kroll states clearly which details cannot be pinned down, and the probable order of events and incidents. The text is informative and lively, although in places the transitions are abrupt, e.g., one of the only references to Fulton’s personal life—“Meanwhile, on January 7, 1808, Fulton had married Harriet Livingston. She bore him four children”—quickly reverts to details on the building of boats. Warm gold-toned paintings convey a sense of times past and complement the text. Especially appealing are the depictions of the steamships. A welcome volume. (chronology) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)