In a brisk overview of one of the most progressive 50-year spans in human history that aims to be both entertaining and instructive, Winslow presents brief, highly illustrated portrayals of 12 major explorers, from Columbus’s first voyage in 1492 to Cabrillo’s in 1542. Front matter includes details of Columbus’s Niña and a group picture of all 12 men lined up in no particular order. Back matter illustrates typical ships’ stores and navigational instruments. Each explorer gets a concise double-page treatment that highlights his major achievements and a map of his voyage of exploration. With these exceptions, the type of information provided changes somewhat from explorer to explorer, which can be regarded as a weakness in consistency or an asset to engaging variety. Information, some pertinent and important and some merely entertaining trivia, is given in both text and sidebars. Each map contains an inset showing a detail of the area of the New World explored. Most show merely the direction from which the explorer sailed rather than that voyage’s point of origin, and often simply trace the journey taken once the New World is reached. Most maps trace the voyages of other explorers, which gives a sense of the interconnectedness of this short but seismic period during which explorers were often aware of each other and their achievements. The most interesting maps contain sidebars of information about the events within the voyage itself. There is recognition of the often-disastrous impact of European contact on existing societies. Although Winslow’s trademark cartoon style does not pretend to portraiture, the presentation of indigenous peoples is somewhat homogeneous as they are depicted in feathered headdress and loin cloth with, for the most part, bland, pleasant expressions. Although there is an index, this would be more useful and successful when viewed as an enjoyable introduction to the era than as an aide to report-writing. (Nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-06-027759-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Strong rhythms and occasional full or partial rhymes give this account of P.T. Barnum’s 1884 elephant parade across the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge an incantatory tone. Catching a whiff of public concern about the new bridge’s sturdiness, Barnum seizes the moment: “’I will stage an event / that will calm every fear, erase every worry, / about that remarkable bridge. / My display will amuse, inform / and astound some. / Or else my name isn’t Barnum!’” Using a rich palette of glowing golds and browns, Roca imbues the pachyderms with a calm solidity, sending them ambling past equally solid-looking buildings and over a truly monumental bridge—which soars over a striped Big Top tent in the final scene. A stately rendition of the episode, less exuberant, but also less fictionalized, than Phil Bildner’s Twenty-One Elephants (2004), illustrated by LeUyen Pham. (author’s note, resource list) (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-44887-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
Hodgkins’s entry in the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series draws a visual timeline from centuries back, when humans’ dreams of flying evolved into reality. The succinct, simplified text cites human efforts to fly like birds and describes the aeronautical physics of gliding using drag force, thrust and lift. Kelley’s breezy illustrations convey a buoyant tone and keep the explanations understandable for curious young minds. Two pages of backmatter provide “Flying Facts” and instructions for making a paper airplane. Lightly touching on everything from the days of imagining the winged Icarus and dreaming of wings to today’s nonchalance about air travel, this is a welcome addition to easy science books about humans and flight. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-06-029558-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Collins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007
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