Brendan the Navigator (Paperback)

by Jean Fritz (Author) "when the Earth was divided into the Known and the Unknown Worlds and America was still a se in the Unknown one. Right on the..." (more)
Key Phrases: leather boat, Bishop Erc

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
If you ask children in Ireland who really discovered America, you may get this surprising answer: "St. Brendan, of course." He left Ireland 1,500 years ago in a leather boat to find paradise. Tales of the wonders he and his crew saw and the Monster Territory they encountered during their trip have become part of Irish legend. And legend also says that the island of unsurpassed beauty that St. Brendan called paradise was actually America. "A lively, provocative 'history mystery.' " — Publishers Weekly "The author, with her ability to breathe new life into historical facts and fancies, retells the legend of St. Brendan. . . .Unusually inviting." — The Horn Book

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (February 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069811759X
• ISBN-13: 978-0698117594
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #216,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #27 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( F ) > Fritz, Jean
  #63 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Exploration & Discovery

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Tale of the First European to Discover America, November 18, 2005

By	Miryam Shoresh (Adirondack Mountains, New York) - See all my reviews

Jean Fritz is a wonderful historical author for children. Her books are incredibly fanciful and fun in the way that they presents historical figures to children. It is clear that she has done her research as you read her stories objectively, but the way that she tells it is the most enjoyable way that I have ever read history!
She introduces Brendan to her readers, which she primarily sees as being children telling about incidents in his life which will draw the children to relate to Brendan. Then she tells an incredibly fanciful rendition of what happened on his journey to America. She finishes with 4 pages of a more historical accounting of which and how these tales may relate to what could have historically happened. The pictures that she has included are throughout and wonderful as well.
For a more historical account of Brendan's journey you may want to read the chapter on Saint Brendan in Robert Reilly's book "Irish Saints". (You can read my review of that where you can find my other reviews). But if you want to provide a child with a combination of fanciful tale and historical fact, this book will fill the bill.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Grumpy so-so saint, December 4, 2007

By	dgray "dgray" (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

My family attends a church named after St. Brendan, so I wanted to purchase a book for my son (and the grown-ups) to learn about him, how God worked in his life, and why he was canonized. I am relatively unfamiliar with any details of the St. Brendan story excepting that he traveled in a boat wherever the wind would take him. This book may or may not portray the historical facts about St. Brendan based upon the best literature available. My impression of St. Brendan after reading the book is that he was a grumpy, self-centered man, who happened to be stubborn and single-minded enough to sail in a boat for seven years until he discovered America. I didn't find much in the book that would lead me to believe that he should have been canonized, and I am disappointed that the book did not illuminate whatever qualities he may have had to be considered a saint. On a separate note, the language in the book is somewhat advanced. It would not be appropriate for a beginning reader, but rather for a child who can read on his or her own for some time (there are lots of words on the pages and a wide vocabulary).