________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIV Number 28. . . . March 23, 2018

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Explore With Mary Kingsley. (Travel With the Great Explorers).

Tim Cooke.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2018.
32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $10.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB).
ISBN 978-0-7787-3926-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3920-3 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7810-7 (html).

Subject Headings:
Kingsley, Mary Henrietta, 1862-1900-Juvenile literature.
Explorers-Africa, West-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Explorers-Great Britain-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Women explorers-Africa, West-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Women explorers-Great Britain-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Africa, West-Discovery and exploration-British-Juvenile literature.

Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11.

Review by Ian Stewart.

*** /4


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Explore With Gertrude Bell. (Travel With the Great Explorers).

Tim Cooke.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2018.
32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $10.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB).
ISBN 978-0-7787-3925-8 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3910-4 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7809-1 (html).

Subject Headings:
Bell, Getrude Lowthian, 1868-1926-Juvenile literature.
Travelers-Middle East-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Women travelers-Middle East-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Archaeologists-Great Britain-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Women archaeologists-Great Britain-Biography-Juvenile literature.

Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11.

Review by Ian Stewart.

*** /4


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Explore With Ibn Battuta. (Travel With the Great Explorers).

Rachel Stuckey.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2018.
32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $10.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB).
ISBN 978-0-7787-3924-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3908-1 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7808-4 (html).

Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11.

Review by Ian Stewart.

*** /4


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Explore With Sir Walter Raleigh. (Travel With the Great Explorers).

Ruth Daly.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2018.
32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $10.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB).
ISBN 978-0-7787-3938-8 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3923-4 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7813-8 (html).

Subject Headings:
Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 1552?-1618-Juvenile literature.
Great Britain-Court and courtiers-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Explorers-Great Britain-Biography-Juvenile literature.
America-Discovery and exploration-Juvenile literature.
Virginia-Discovery and exploration.

Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11.

Review by Ian Stewart.

*** /4


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Explore With Giovanni da Verazzano. (Travel With the Great Explorers).

Cynthia O’Brien.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2018.
32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $10.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB).
ISBN 978-0-7787-3928-9 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3922-7 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7812-1 (html).

Subject Headings:
Verazzano, Giovanni da, 1485-1528-Juvenile literature.
Explorers-France-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Explorers-America-Biography-Juvenile literature.
America-Discovery and exploration-French-Juvenile literature.

Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11.

Review by Ian Stewart.

*** /4


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Explore With Vasco Núñez de Balboa. (Travel With the Great Explorers).

Meredith Dault.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2018.
32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $10.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB).
ISBN 978-0-7787-3927-2 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3921-0 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7811-4 (html).

Subject Headings:
Balboa, Vasco Núñez de-1475-1519-Juvenile literature.
Explorers-America-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Explorers-Spain-Biography-Juvenile literature.
America-Discovery and exploration-Spanish-Juvenile literature.

Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11.

Review by Ian Stewart.

*** /4


   

excerpt:

When Mary visited West Africa in 1893, the region had suffered an epidemic of small pox. The disease covered its victim in spots, spread easily, and can be fatal. The Africans called it “spotted death”. They believed that evil spirits or witches sent disease to people who were bad. Mary visited remote villages that were almost empty because disease had killed most of the villagers.

On the climb up Mount Cameroon in 1890, Mary and her guides soon ran out of water. The water holes were empty. While the guides waited for supplies, Mary carried on up the mountain despite having nothing to eat or drink. Supplies turned up the next day. The guides feasted on rice and beef. Mary enjoyed a special food box--including cookies from England.

When Mary was walking in the forest one day, she fell into an animal trap. This was a deep hole, dug into the ground and covered with leaves. The bottom was full of sharp wooden stakes. The thick cloth of Mary's skirt protected her from the spikes. Many of her friends had advised Mary to wear pants while she was in Africa, but she had refused. It was a good thing she did. (From
Explore with Mary Kingsley.)

By the time of the founding of Iraq in 1921, Arabic people called Gertrude Bell “El Khatun” (“The Lady”). The title was a mark of respect for her role in creating the country. King Faisal called her the greatest women of all time. She lived in her home in Baghdad. However, the way the British created the country also caused problems for the future. It sets the territory up without thinking about the different religious and ethnic groups who did not get along. It also created borders that divided deserts that had been open to nomadic people from many centuries.

Gertrude’s travels through the Middle East had opened her eyes to its remarkable ancient culture. Fearing that objects that were thousands of years old might be lost forever if they were not saved, Gertrude said about collecting as many as she could for a new museum in Baghdad. Her hard work paid off--the museum opened its first room in June 1926.

Gertrude died suddenly on July 12, 1926, just two days before her 58th birthday. Her death was a tremendous shock. Before she died, Gertrude had faced a number of difficulties. Her beloved brother Hugo, had died in February 1926. The Bell family's fortune was running out. More importantly Gertrude's health was increasingly fragile, and she was losing her energy.

Gertrude’s greatest legacy was the creation of Iraq. She helped decide its borders. She knew more about the different tribes living there than any other Westerner at that time. She chose Iraq's first king and the design of its flag. She is the only woman to have played such an important part in the founding of a country. The effects of the creation of Iraq are still being felt today.

“She was, I think, the greatest woman of our time and perhaps the greatest of all time.” said scholar and writer Janet Hogarth on her friend, Gertrude Bell. (From
Explore with Gertrude Bell.)

 

Crabtree Publishing continues to add titles to its already extensive “Travel With the Great Explorers” series, which has been generally favorably reviewed in CM. Students are able to explore European explorers’ motives, which have been historically described as “for god, glory and gold”, i.e., spread Christianity, enhance the prestige and wealth of their country as well as for themselves.

     In these additions to the series, students find themselves in the early 16th century as they travel to the east coast of North America to establish a colony in Virginia and later down to the northern coast of South America with the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. They travel with the explorer Giovanni da Verrazano to what would become the New England states and south to the isthmus of Panama with the Spaniard Vasco de Balboa.

     After Crabtree has published some 20 volumes in the series, the stories of two women explorer, adventurer, scholars have been included, as well as a volume on the 14th century Islamic scholar Ibn Battuta. Students are introduced to two 19th century British women, Mary Kingsley and Gertrude Bell, who overcame the strictures of Victorian society to become acclaimed explorers and authors. Kingsley explored and wrote about her travels in West Africa, and Bell wrote about her explorations, mapping in Iraq and establishing the museum of antiquities in Baghdad. Battuta, whose writings were not translated until the late 19th century, was perhaps the most travelled person of the Middle Ages, having journeyed from his home in Morocco through the Middle East, Africa, India and China.

     Each volume follows the same format: Meet the Boss—a short biographical sketch of the explorer’s backstory; Where are We Heading—a description of the lands they were exploring; The Voyage—a map of the exploration; Meet the Crew—the other individuals taken on the voyage or who were met during the journey of discovery; Check Out the Ride—the differing ways in which the explorers travelled on their journey; Solve it With Science—the varying skills and tools the explorer had to have and carried on their travels; Hanging at Home—how the explorers tried to live with some degree of comfort in harsh and dangerous surroundings; Meeting and Greeting—identifying the local peoples and how the explorers related to them; More Encounters; I Love Nature—an examination of the local flora and fauna: Fortune Hunting—what valuable commodities were the explorers looking to exploit as to increase their own personal wealth or their state’s; This Isn’t What They Said in the Brochure—an examination of the disappointments the explorers faced; End of the Road—a examination of the accomplishments and the legacy of the explorers. Each volume concludes with a glossary, timeline, list of resources and an index. As well, the books are well-illustrated with drawings, archival materials, and photographs.

     Beyond the motivations of the explorers, students will be able to delve deeper into a variety of subject areas because of the format each book in the series follows. Students might contrast the personalities of the explorers. They might compare the lives and habitats of the various native peoples the explorers encountered and consider how the interactions affected the indigenous peoples. They might examine the distinct climates and the types of flora and fauna found in different geographical areas of Africa or North and South America. They might study how various explorers learned to adapt to the new conditions they faced. They might ask what scientific innovations, as well as medical discoveries, made the 16th through 19th century voyages of exploration possible.

     Classrooms and libraries that purchase several books in the “Travel With the Great Explorers” series will be able to put them to good use for a variety of purposes.

Recommended.

Ian Stewart taught in Winnipeg (MB) School Division and is happily retired.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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