Explorers: Pioneers Who Broke New Boundaries FROM THE PUBLISHER
It's a weird world out there... dazzle your friends with wacky facts and more from this mega new series. Did you know... Astronaut John Young disliked NASA's flight food so much, he smuggled a corned beef sandwich into space. climber Edward Whymper pelted his rivals with rocks when he topped the Matterhorn first. Mouse Stew — complete with feet — was French adventurer Rene Caillie's dinner in Tieme.
A full-color, fun, and informative series, Secret Worlds offers a chance to get your teeth deep into a wide range of fascinating subjects from nature, history, and science. Every title has: Easy-to-read narrative text written by a specialist who combines expert knowledge with an entertaining and fresh style. Superb color photography that entices the reader into the subject world with close-up views and dramatic shots. Weird World feature boxes that reveal a wealth of wacky facts. Tried-and-tested websites to check out the latest info. A mega reference section with even more facts and figures for the enthusiast. Suitable for children aged ten and up — as well as every other family member who is curious about the subject.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Vasco Da Gama, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong all stake a claim in Explorers: Pioneers Who Broke New Boundaries by Richard Platt. This plus seven other additions to DK's Secret Worlds series feature information-packed pages, colorful graphics and tabbed page corners that list suggested Web sites. A reference section in the back contains a glossary, timeline, notable facts and other interesting destinations on the Web. The other titles available in simultaneous harcover/softcover editions: Apes; Body; Bugs; Dinosaurs; Mummies; Native Americans; and Tornadoes. ( Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
This lively book in DK's "Secret Worlds" series traces explorers from prehistory through the space age. It tells of the extreme difficulties they faced as they made the first voyages over the sea and under the ocean, down the rivers and up the mountains, to the frozen ends of the earth and out into space. Instead of telling simply what happened, the author includes fascinating facts about the hows and whys of exploration that will encourage a reader to understand and remember the information. Mr. Platt tells us that the first maps were drawn not to aid travelers but to help farmers in the Nile delta locate their land after a flood. And in 600 A.D., travelers crossing the uncharted Gobi Desert found their way by following a trail of animal dung and bones. The author mentions that many 16th century Europeans were more likely to consider the "New World" an obstacle on the way to Asia rather than an opportunity, a fresh point of view for many readers. Unfortunately, the book is marred by a few proofreading errors. The most glaring is the reference stating that Vasco da Gama left Portugal in 1497 and arrived in India in 1898. This leads a reader to question how carefully other facts were checked. Although many journeys are described, only four small maps are included. Additional maps, particularly of Australia, would have been helpful. The 96-page book concludes with a useful reference section, glossary, a list of relevant websites and an index. 2001, Dorling Kindersley, $14.95 and $7.95. Ages 8 up. Reviewer:Janet Crane Barley
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