This exciting book follows the travels of Portuguese explorer and navigator Ferdinand Magellan who led an expedition to the Spice Islands that ended up circumnavigating the Earth. Historical information and high-interest fact boxes are presented in a tabloid-news style that guides readers through major voyages, explorations, and discoveries. Topics include what led Magellan to sail west on behalf of Spain, life on board ship, the first-ever exploration of the Pacific Ocean, the completion of the voyage after Magellan's death in battle, and Magellan's legacy. From School Library Journal: Gr 2-4-This flawed, poorly designed series introduces the earliest world explorers and their varied destinations. Their stories are told through sound bites of narrative and interspersed frantically with pullouts. Some pages are composed entirely of sidebars. These books may be designed for readers influenced by social media, but they neglect narrative entirely, and kids will struggle to find a central textual thread amid the blasts of information competing for their attention. The series does a disservice to the historical images by including tiny versions, clustered too closely together, and there's often a disconnect between text and images. The authors don't always let readers come to their own conclusions. For example, Ferdinand Magellan is labeled as "pig headed" without any explanatory anecdotes or examples. Give these titles a pass.α(c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Describes Cartier's expeditions in Canada, discussing his navigation of the St. Lawrence River, the settlement of what is now Montreal, the unusual plant and animal life encountered by the explorer, and his interaction with the native peoples. From School Library Journal: Gr 2-4-This flawed, poorly designed series introduces the earliest world explorers and their varied destinations. Their stories are told through sound bites of narrative and interspersed frantically with pullouts. Some pages are composed entirely of sidebars. These books may be designed for readers influenced by social media, but they neglect narrative entirely, and kids will struggle to find a central textual thread amid the blasts of information competing for their attention. The series does a disservice to the historical images by including tiny versions, clustered too closely together, and there's often a disconnect between text and images. The authors don't always let readers come to their own conclusions. For example, Ferdinand Magellan is labeled as "pig headed" without any explanatory anecdotes or examples. Give these titles a pass.α(c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

This fascinating book follows French explorer Jacques Cartier to the New World where he claimed the new territory called Canada for France. Historical information and high-interest fact boxes are presented in a tabloid-news style that guides readers through major voyages, explorations, and discoveries. Topics include what led Cartier to sail west, life on board ship, Cartier's exploration along the St. Lawrence, his interactions with the Iroquois, establishing French settlements in Canada, and Cartier's legacy. From School Library Journal: Gr 2-4-This flawed, poorly designed series introduces the earliest world explorers and their varied destinations. Their stories are told through sound bites of narrative and interspersed frantically with pullouts. Some pages are composed entirely of sidebars. These books may be designed for readers influenced by social media, but they neglect narrative entirely, and kids will struggle to find a central textual thread amid the blasts of information competing for their attention. The series does a disservice to the historical images by including tiny versions, clustered too closely together, and there's often a disconnect between text and images. The authors don't always let readers come to their own conclusions. For example, Ferdinand Magellan is labeled as "pig headed" without any explanatory anecdotes or examples. Give these titles a pass.α(c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.