Books in World's Great Explorers series

Explore the life of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in this captivating biography. Spanish legends claimed there were seven cities built of gold filled with treasure and riches. Coronado and his crew spent three years exploring the New World in search of gold, discovering only the beauty of the landscape. Follow along the brave journey of Coronado and learn the importance of his expeditions in the American Southwest.

Five years after Columbus sailed off to find a sea route to the Orient, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama went on the same quest. His epic, 27,000 mile journey around the bottom of Africa was filled with danger, treachery, sacrifice, cruelty and acts of extraordinary courage. By the time da Gama returned, half his ships were gone, and two thirds of his crew were dead, but he had found what Columbus had not. Da Gama brought back tales of East African and Asian marketplaces overflowing with riches, of rulers who wore emeralds and rubies and pearls the size of grapes, of ships and cannons that were no match for those of the Portuguese. Portugal would soon send more ships and more cannons. The rest of Europe would follow. And the world would never be the same. Joan Elizabeth Goodman's narrative captures both the drama of da Gama's voyage and its central place in world history. Tom McNeely's fluid watercolors give the reader a visceral sense of an unknown world unfolding before the explorer's eyes.

Packed full of colorful maps, vivid illustrations, lively, engaging text, and with a giant fold-out map of the Earth, this is the ultimate guide to reading, understanding, and making maps for children aged 8 and up. Learning how to read a map is one of the most useful skills a child can learn, and this book teaches the essentials in the most accessible and entertaining way possible. It reveals the secrets and techniques of map-making, showing young readers how to use maps and create their own maps. Packed with fun activities, children are shown how to make a working compass using simple household objects, and are encouraged to engage with maps to find locations, trace routes, decipher symbols, and more. With dynamic, captivating text accompanied by accurate, expertly drawn maps and vibrant color photographs, How to Read Maps is the perfect guide to lead younger readers through the world of mapping.

The one-armed professor who conquered the mighty Colorado. No European had ever taken boats down the Colorado river and come out alive. In May 1869, ten men boarded four rowboats in Green River City, Wyoming. Three months and 1,000 miles later, just two battered boats carrying six exhausted and starving men emerged from the depths of the Grand Canyon. The Last River tells their remarkable story. The man who challenged the Colorado was different from other explorers. Major John Wesley Powell was a small, bookish, one-armed geology professor from a midwestern farm. Despite his size and the constant pain from the Civil War wound that had cost him his arm, Powell's twin passions -- adventure and scientific exploration -- drew him to the Colorado River. For three months he and nine crew members made their home on the river. They thrilled to riding the rapids and endured the back-breaking labor of transporting boats and cargo past rapids too dangerous to run. They discovered canyons of unsurpassed beauty and gave them names like Music Temple and Canyon of Lodore. They saved each other from drowning, and suffered together as their food supply dwindled to nearly nothing. Excerpts from journals of crew members personalize the gripping text. Original paintings and a fold-out map allows the reader to simultaneously follow the expedition's route and its adventures. The Last River is an inspiring and riveting true adventure written with drama and compassion that brings history to life.