written and illustrated by Peter Sis; ages 5 and up
Over 500 years ago a little boy was born in the city of Genoa, Italy. His father was a weaver, but Christopher Columbus dreamed of faraway places, adventure, and discovery. He observed the ships that sailed into the harbor and listened to the sailors and merchants as they told tales of their journeys. Thus Peter Sis begins the story of Christopher Columbus. Sis has illustrated this biography with fine-lined ink laid on yellowing parchment, creating detailed drawings that resemble 15th-century maps.
written and illustrated by Peter Sis; ages 7 and up
Galileo, a son of a musician born in 1564, was a mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. One of the first scientists to use a telescope to study the skies, he discovered that the Milky Way was made up of stars and that the planet Jupiter had moons. He supported the theory that the earth revolved around the sun, a revolutionary idea at the time that caused him to be persecuted by the religious authorities. Children will enjoy searching for clues of his life in the detailed ink drawings referencing period cartography imbedded within Galileo's own notes.
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau
written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino; ages 5 and up
"It fascinated me to do something that seemed impossible." Jacques Cousteau peered into the sea and was enchanted by the underwater world. He devoted his life to exploring the flora and fauna of the seas and to share what he had learned. He invented ways to see what no one had before, including the aqualung, which allowed swimmers to breathe underwater. With his team aboard his ship, Calypso, he filmed whales, dolphins, and deep-sea creatures for TV so that all could admire and be amazed by the beauty and diversity of the ocean.
written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino; ages 5 and up
"It fascinated me to do something that seemed impossible." Jacques Cousteau peered into the sea and was enchanted by the underwater world. He devoted his life to exploring the flora and fauna of the seas and to share what he had learned. He invented ways to see what no one had before, including the aqualung, which allowed swimmers to breathe underwater. With his team aboard his ship, Calypso, he filmed whales, dolphins, and deep-sea creatures for TV so that all could admire and be amazed by the beauty and diversity of the ocean.
Leif Eriksson
by Jason Glaser; ages 7 and up
Leif Eriksson was a Viking, ancestors of modern-day Scandinavians. What little we know about his life came from stories called sagas. Leif's father, Erik the Red, established a Viking colony on Greenland. When Leif came of age, Greenland had become crowded, so he set forth with a crew on a longboat to find new lands. They came upon a rich land to the west and established a colony they called Vinland. According to the Greenland Saga, Eriksson arrived in North America 500 years before Columbus, and modern discovery of the settlements confirms this.
by Jason Glaser; ages 7 and up
Leif Eriksson was a Viking, ancestors of modern-day Scandinavians. What little we know about his life came from stories called sagas. Leif's father, Erik the Red, established a Viking colony on Greenland. When Leif came of age, Greenland had become crowded, so he set forth with a crew on a longboat to find new lands. They came upon a rich land to the west and established a colony they called Vinland. According to the Greenland Saga, Eriksson arrived in North America 500 years before Columbus, and modern discovery of the settlements confirms this.
Adventures of the Treasure Fleet: China Discovers the World
by Ann Bowler, illustrated by Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard; ages 8 and up
When one thinks of an explorer, Christopher Columbus comes to mind. How many of us have heard of Zheng He, a Chinese explorer who set sail on seven great expeditions? Ninety years before Columbus, Zheng He led a fleet of 300 ships charting unknown oceans across the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, all the way to the coast of the African continent. This is a richly illustrated, fictionalized account is grounded in extensive research.
by Ann Bowler, illustrated by Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard; ages 8 and up
When one thinks of an explorer, Christopher Columbus comes to mind. How many of us have heard of Zheng He, a Chinese explorer who set sail on seven great expeditions? Ninety years before Columbus, Zheng He led a fleet of 300 ships charting unknown oceans across the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, all the way to the coast of the African continent. This is a richly illustrated, fictionalized account is grounded in extensive research.
So You Want to Be an Explorer?
by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small; ages 6 and up
The Caldecott-winning duo that created So You Want to Be the President profile a diverse group of explorers. These short biographies present familiar figures such as Columbus, Mary Kingsley, Matthew Henson, Amelia Earhart, and Yuri Gagarin, but also the unexpected explorers like test pilot Chuck Yeager, human genome mappers Francis Collins and Craig Venter, and David Kunst, who walked around the world. These thumbnail sketches are just the starting point for beginning to find out about these inspirational pioneers.
by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small; ages 6 and up
The Caldecott-winning duo that created So You Want to Be the President profile a diverse group of explorers. These short biographies present familiar figures such as Columbus, Mary Kingsley, Matthew Henson, Amelia Earhart, and Yuri Gagarin, but also the unexpected explorers like test pilot Chuck Yeager, human genome mappers Francis Collins and Craig Venter, and David Kunst, who walked around the world. These thumbnail sketches are just the starting point for beginning to find out about these inspirational pioneers.
Atlas of Exploration
by Anita Ganeri, illustrated by Andrea Mills; ages 6 and up
This encyclopedia presents exploration form the earliest times to present-day space travel. We learn about the traveling traders of ancient Egypt, the Phoenicians, and the Polynesians, who as early as 2000 B.C. were sailing the Pacific Ocean. The authors provide maps with acetate overlays to demonstrate the passage of time and travel. Key figures in world travel, Drake, Magellan, and Cortés are put in context of world history and the peoples they encountered.
by Anita Ganeri, illustrated by Andrea Mills; ages 6 and up
This encyclopedia presents exploration form the earliest times to present-day space travel. We learn about the traveling traders of ancient Egypt, the Phoenicians, and the Polynesians, who as early as 2000 B.C. were sailing the Pacific Ocean. The authors provide maps with acetate overlays to demonstrate the passage of time and travel. Key figures in world travel, Drake, Magellan, and Cortés are put in context of world history and the peoples they encountered.
Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 1325-1354
written and illustrated by James Rumford; ages 4 and up
Meet Ibn Battuta, an explorer who traveled an astonishing 75,000 miles on his journeys. Setting off from Tangier on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Battuta, a devout Muslim, journeyed the Islamic world for over 30 years. Using stylized maps to depict Morocco of the time, embedding the text with Arabic lettering and highlighting with gold and deep blues, partake in Battuta's adventures and feel his awe and delight at the new and strange sights of Jerusalem, Bukhara, Samarkand, Delhi, and the Maldive Islands.
written and illustrated by James Rumford; ages 4 and up
Meet Ibn Battuta, an explorer who traveled an astonishing 75,000 miles on his journeys. Setting off from Tangier on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Battuta, a devout Muslim, journeyed the Islamic world for over 30 years. Using stylized maps to depict Morocco of the time, embedding the text with Arabic lettering and highlighting with gold and deep blues, partake in Battuta's adventures and feel his awe and delight at the new and strange sights of Jerusalem, Bukhara, Samarkand, Delhi, and the Maldive Islands.
The Adventures of Marco Polo
by Russell Freedman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline; ages 10 and up
Newbery Medal winner Freedman describes Marco Polo's historic journey to China while questioning if the accounts are true. Were they exaggerations or out-and-out lies? Were Polo's accounts too fantastic to believe? Freedman gives us the compelling story of Polo's arduous travels over deserts, down the Silk Road, and over mountains to the spectacular lands of the Kublai Khan. Ibatoulline's full-color paintings elegantly support Freedman's storytelling.
by Russell Freedman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline; ages 10 and up
Newbery Medal winner Freedman describes Marco Polo's historic journey to China while questioning if the accounts are true. Were they exaggerations or out-and-out lies? Were Polo's accounts too fantastic to believe? Freedman gives us the compelling story of Polo's arduous travels over deserts, down the Silk Road, and over mountains to the spectacular lands of the Kublai Khan. Ibatoulline's full-color paintings elegantly support Freedman's storytelling.
The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours
by Jane Goodall, ages 9 and up
In this memoir written specifically for children, Goodall describes how her research led to her discoveries about chimpanzees. Goodall is a renowned pioneer in the observation and recording of primate behavior. She spends the majority of her autobiography portraying the chimpanzees that she has grown to love after over 40 years of studying them and encourages children to follow her example to care for animals and the environment. She encourages children to follow her example to care for animals and the environment through the Goodall Institute.
Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13
by Richard Farr; ages 10 and up
In 1910, plans were made by an Englishman, Falcon Scott, for an expedition to the South Pole. Along for the journey was a 24-year-old biological assistant nicknamed Cherry. This is the story of this fatal exploration based on Cherry's accounts, which include parts of diaries, letters, and black and white reproductions of maps and photographs. Cherry recorded the harsh inhospitable conditions of the environment and the struggles of the group to survive.
Source: Lisa Von Drasek, nickjr dot com
Lisa Von Drasek is the Children's Librarian of the Bank Street College of Education. She teaches pre-K through 8th grade as well as children's literature to graduate students. Lisa has served on The New York Times Best Illustrated Jury, the Newbery Committee, American Library Association's Notable Children's Books, and the Bank Street College of Education's Children's Book Committee.
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