Explorers Who Made It… Or Died Trying by Frieda Wishinsky and illustrated by Bill Dickson is a fun book about twelve famous explorers who got A’s in daring and persistence (according to Wishinkey’s report cards), but did not always get along well with others. This book has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. 
This book is a fun, fast read. It is broken into ten chapters with plenty of subheadings, so it is easy to find just the information you are looking for. The black and white illustrations include plenty of maps for geography lessons, plus less-than-serious cartoons.
It is perfect for children who are doing research on historical figures, and who are interested in adventurers.
The explorers included are:
- Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson
• Marco Polo
• Henry Hudson
• Christopher Columbus
• James Cook
• Hernán Cortés
• Samuel de Champlain
• Lewis and Clark
• John Franklin
• Roald Amundsen
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Canada (Oct 1 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1443100102
ISBN-13: 978-1443100106
This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Be sure to look for more information about children’s books at today’s Book Talk Tuesday.
Thanks for the great review of EXPLORERS WHO MADE IT…or died trying. Happy holidays!
Thanks for stopping by. Good luck in the Cybils.
Roberta,
I’ve really enjoyed your reviews of the first round Cybils YA NF. You’ve made each review come alive and provided a thoughtful look at them. I’m looking forward to my committee work.
Thank you, Shirley. It has been a lot of work, but I’ve definitely learned a lot, too.