The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest ANNOTATION
Describes the conditions and terrain of Mount Everest, attempts that have been made to scale this peak, and general information about the equipment and techniques of mountain climbing.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In this stunning picture book, Steve Jenkins takes us to Mount Everest - exploring its history, geography, climate, and culture. This unique book takes readers on the ultimate adventure of climbing the great mountain. Travel along and learn what to pack for such a trek and the hardships one may suffer on the way to the top. Avalanches, frostbite, frigid temperatures, wind, and limited oxygen are just a few of the dangers that make scaling this peak one of the most extreme physical challenges one can experience. To stand on the top of Mount Everest is to stand on top of the world. With informative text and exquisitely detailed cut paper illustrations, Steve Jenkins brings this extreme journey alive for young adventurers.
FROM THE CRITICS
Lolly Robinson
Mount Everest may be imposing, but Steve Jenkins takes its measure in a strikingly executed picture book. The cut-paper collage illustrations manage to show the grandeur of the world's tallest mountain with an immediacy that few photographs can. Using textured paper and only a little bit of airbrushing, Jenkins succeeds in the difficult task of creating realistic paper collages. The book follows a logical sequence, beginning with the statistics (where it is, how tall, how it was formed, how to get there, who climbed it first) and continuing with a virtual climbing experience for the reader: "It takes a lot of special gear to climb Mount Everest. Here is some of the equipment you'll need"-a spread displaying a delicious array of impressive rig. By the time we have reached the summit on the last spread, we have gained an understanding of the thrills as well as the immense hardships involved in this climb. Jenkins doesn't avoid details of frostbite and lost fingers, or even the visible litter of used oxygen canisters and frozen bodies of climbers who succumbed to the altitude and had to be left on the mountain. On nearly every spread there is an inset or sidebar providing additional information about glaciers and avalanches, the culture of the Sherpas, why climbers need oxygen, and other facts that are of interest but would break the forward motion of the main story. Exceptional design handles these bits of text remarkably well: the insets are clearly separate from the central spread, using a different background color and smaller type, while the torn paper edges of each sidebar allow it to become integrated into the spread. In a few instances, however, the typeface threatens to become lost in the texture and color variations of its background paper. The subject matter-danger and heroism in a vast, breathtakingly beautiful setting-is inherently suited to a large, colorful picture book; the deft execution of the illustrations brings the whole package to a higher level. One of the pitfalls of using cut paper for realistic illustrations is the disappointing lack of realism in close-ups of faces, which require fine gradations of shading and color. The subject allows Jenkins to avoid this, since the climbers are most often seen completely covered up with scarves, hats, and sungoggles. Another potential difficulty can be depicting vapor and cloud realistically, but Jenkins makes full use of thin, wispy papers and deckle edges to create puffy clouds and blowing snow plumes. The book ends with illustrated back matter: a chart of the tallest summits on each continent, a list of Mount Everest facts and records, a few websites, and a bibliography. From start to finish, Jenkins has created a breathtaking tour-de-force. -- Horn Book Magazine
Hungry Mind Review
...[A] certain uniformity in style brings together picture book and reference material....packed with practical facts and technical detail...
The New York Times
The book teaches children about the thrills and risks of big mountains without frightening them.
Publishers Weekly
Addressing readers as would-be Everest explorers, Jenkins's book is a compendium of historical info and practical tips, illustrated with stunning cut-paper collage, wrote PW. Ages 6-10. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
A compendium of historical info and practical tips, Jenkins's (Biggest, Strongest, Fastest) overview of the challenges of climbing Mount Everest works best as a showcase for his stunning cut-paper collage art. The artist's skillful juxtaposition of variously textured papers creates some remarkably convincing images of this snow- and ice-filled terrain, and his eye for detail comes through in depictions of climbers and their gear. Addressing readers as would-be Everest explorers, the author favors a second-person narrative: "If you ever want to climb it, here are a few things to think about." The text is a little disjointed: paragraphs describing "your" expedition are accompanied by sidebars and interrupted by spreads with related material (e.g., an illustrated list of necessary equipment). The book design sets off the illustrations beautifully, but sometimes discourages attention to the text. More than a few blocks of copy, dropped onto the textured art, are simply hard to read. Ages 6-10. (Apr.)
Read all 10 "From The Critics" >
Home
