School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Krull introduces middle-grade readers to a diverse cast of 17 explorers in this latest offering from her series. A short, two-to five page chapter is devoted to each explorer, incorporating a biographical sketch and a short discussion of the explorer's contributions. The subjects are presented chronologically, beginning in the medieval period with the Norseman Leif Ericson and finishing with the astronaut Sally Ride. Readers learn about these historical figures' adventures while also getting a taste of each explorer's personality and character. Brilliant, full-page caricatures of the explorers in light color introduce each chapter, their oversize heads adding an additional dimension of personality to the narrative. Hewitt's painted maps are splendid, revealing the twisting paths of many adventurers, including Capt. James Cook's winding sea routes and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's snaking trails. In addition to the famous personages of Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan, special attention is given to less fabled discoverers, including Mary Kingsley and Isabella Bird. This work is a survey, providing summarized information, so the detail is shallower than volumes specializing on a single explorer or specific expedition, such as Richard Kozar's Lewis & Clark (Chelsea House, 2000). But what the book lacks in detail, it gains in an exceedingly diverse cast of historical figures, thus introducing young readers to the women, Asians, and African Americans who contributed to world discovery. Krull does not sugarcoat the history; the negative impacts of discovery upon native peoples are discussed, such as the violence resulting from Columbus's expeditions. A strong addition to middle-grade nonfiction collections.- Jeffrey Meyer, Mount Pleasant Public Library, IA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Brief, lively, and informative profiles of some of the world's best-known explorers, plus a few of smaller renown, focus on major accomplishments and discoveries. The discussion also touches on personality quirks and what may have driven their curiosity and wonder in the first place. Caricature-style portraits and relevant maps help tell the stories, which are great for reading aloud. Reading list. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
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 discoveredand 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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
With the same wit and subtlety readers have come to expect from the Lives of . . . series, Krull manages to provide accurate, entertaining, and relatable capsule biographies of 20 giants of exploration. Included are the expected, such as Columbus and Marco Polo, but also the more obscure, such as Mary Kingsley, who explored the remotest parts of Africa in the nineteenth century, and Matthew Henson, an African American who may have been the first person to reach the North Pole, in 1909. These biographies focus less on the places that these intrepid men and women explored and more on the events and personality traits in their lives that impelled them to become voyagers. Krull's best move is to celebrate what most history books do not: that the men and women she writes about are real people, with flaws, foibles, and personal oddities. Helped along, as usual, by Hewitt's kind caricatures, this is another entertaining and resonant group biography.--Anderson, Erin Copyright 2014 Booklist