Explore!: The Most Dangerous Journeys of All Time (The Discovery Series)

Explore!: The Most Dangerous Journeys of All Time (The Discovery Series)

Hands-on history for children interested in wilderness survival and the detail and adventure of real expeditions History, adventure, and survival combine in this book about the most daring voyages made from the golden age of discovery to recent times. Young readers are introduced to the passionate and headstrong explorers who undertook these intrepid journeys and the challenges they faced. Dividing the world into key types of terrain―polar, ocean, land, desert, river, sky, and space―the book relates the real-life stories of men and women from around the world and throughout history, from Christopher Columbus and Lewis and Clark to Amelia Earhart, Jacques Cousteau, and Yuri Gagarin. The fascinating background details such as expedition kits, supplies, and survival tips for the extreme conditions of each journey help children see how explorers pitted themselves against adversity to brave the wild and help shape our world. Illustrated in color throughout Kespert uses the timeless allure of danger to entice readers in this dynamic anthology of some of history’s greatest journeys of discovery. Twenty expeditions are described using high-interest text and plenty of visual primary source material, including period photographs, images of artifacts, and printed ephemera. Each tale also includes a discussion of the major dangers that the pioneers faced and lists of supplies that they took with them, and is punctuated with survival tips, such as how to avoid frostbite, communicate underwater, and build a jungle shelter. Both the expected and the obscure are mentioned, from Columbus and Lewis and Clark, to Cousteau, the age of exploration, and the space age, along the way encompassing almost every type of frontier. Engaging and exhaustive, this book is a fine interdisciplinary resource, including fundamental lessons in geography, history, and science. Even better, it propounds a vividly imagined lesson on experiencing fear and acting in spite of it. Grades 4-8. --Erin Anderson "A great introduction to nonfiction for children who like adventure stories." ― School Library Journal Deborah Kespert  is a children’s book author. She has written many books for children including Genius! and Space Academy .