(4) 4-6 Bishop packs a lot of historical detail into this (fictionalized) diary account of life aboard explorer Captain James Cook's ship Endeavor, from the perspective of the ship's cook Thomas Richmond ("likely...a freed slave from Jamaica"). The acrylic and ink drawings, in muted greens, blues, and off-whites, contain speech bubbles; sidebars provide supplementary information and very basic recipes. It's somewhat hard to follow but engaging.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Great Explorers series. Each title successfully establishes historical setting, current knowledge, and unanswered questions, setting the stage for profiling the featured explorer. Stock photographs, maps, and archival images combine with dry texts to provide adequate, straightforward biographies of these men and the legacies that defined their work, whether it was trading with the East, mapping the world, or studying the depths of the ocean. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Explorers titles: Captain Cook, Ferdinand Magellan, Christopher Columbus, and Jacques Cousteau.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Maria Cristina Pritelli. Presented as entries in a young sailor's journal, brief verses chronicle Captain Cook's first famous circumnavigation of the globe on the Endeavour. Full-page paintings and smaller sketches are delicately composed but frequently dramatic in effect; the text is observant in a travelogue-ish way but neither characterful nor very informative. However, this would be a handsome supplement to a unit on exploration.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) YA History of Exploration series. In these information-rich volumes, each double-page spread contains one short paragraph of text on the title subject and several illustrations with extensive captions. Pictures range from historical paintings to maps and geographical sites to photographs of artifacts. The format is eye-catching, but the small font and crowded pages are challenging to navigate. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these History of Exploration titles: Captain Cook & His Exploration of the Pacific, Columbus & the Renaissance Explorers, Drake & the Elizabethan Explorers, Exploration of Africa, Exploration of North America, and Magellan & the Americas.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) YA Great Explorers of the World series. Examining the lives of well-known explorers, these biographies go beyond to offer information about the times in which the men lived; events leading up to and surrounding their travels; and the impact of their explorations on the world. The volumes are well illustrated with photos, archival art, and maps. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Explorers of the World titles: Leif Eriksson, Captain Cook, Cortés, Vasco Da Gama, Lewis and Clark, and Pizarro.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Great Journeys Across Earth series. Each series volume details a historically important expedition. The circumstances leading up to the journey as well as the aftermath are also discussed. Also included is information about who accompanied the explorers and the experiences they all had. Numerous sidebars, maps, and illustrations provide additional information (though the crowded pages divide attention). Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Journeys across Earth titles: Captain Cook's Pacific Explorations, Burton and Speke's Source of the Nile Quest, Amundsen and Scott's Race to the South Pole, Hillary and Norgay's Mount Everest Adventure, Lewis and Clark's Continental Journey, Magellan's Voyage around the World, and Marco Polo's Travels on Asia's Silk Road.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 In World History series. Based on substantial sources, the books in this series offer balanced appraisals of their subjects' contributions, as well as the controversies that their activities engendered (Cook's careful eighteenth-century explorations of the Pacific; de Soto's aggressive search for gold in North America; and Columbus's explorations, also gold-driven, for Spain). Each book contains dark black-and-white period prints and a timeline. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: Captain Cook Explores the Pacific in World History, Hernando de Soto and the Spanish Search for Gold in World History, Christopher Columbus and the Age of Exploration in World History.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Using the diary kept by one of the seamen on Captain Cook's final, disastrous voyage, Lawlor describes the places visited and the details of life on board a ship. Reproductions of drawings done by the ship's crew illustrate the pages, as do maps documenting the ship's journey. Several appendixes and notes complete the overlong text. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) YA Great Explorations series. The well-researched books in this series will be useful to students writing reports. Maps and archival reproductions in both black and white and color extend the text, but the illustrations aren't always captioned and maps from antiquity aren't always labeled as such. Nevertheless, these are engaging introductions. Each book includes a chronology. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Expectations titles: Daniel Boone, Robert e. Peary, L Salle, Lewis and Clark, Captain James Cook, Ferdinand Magellan.]

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker. Hesse has taken the few and meager facts known about Nicholas Young, an eleven-year-old stowaway aboard Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour in the year 1768, and elaborated them into a full-blown novel. Her compelling storytelling and clever pacing command the reader's attention, even while reflecting the rhythms of the journey, which include doldrums as well as swift sailing.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2001

(3) 4-6 What's Their Story? series. Illustrated by Alan Marks. These brief biographies of three authors, two explorers, and one political activist present their subjects in clear and engaging prose. Accomplished half-page and spot watercolors on each page highlight key moments in each person's life. Time lines are appended to all but Eric (which features a source note) and Gandhi (a glossary). Ind.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne