From School Library Journal
Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Lewis and Clark discusses the 1804 expedition that set out to explore the American continent. Apart from chapters introducing Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea, the straightforward narrative follows the explorers down rivers, across the plains, and over the mountains to the Pacific. Supplementing Faber's account are journal quotations that offer firsthand reportage of events, conditions, and reflections about the journey. The last chapter tells what happened to significant members of the expedition and includes information on the Lewis and Clark Trail. Source notes are appended.
Ferdinand Magellan demonstrates the enormity of the explorer's achievement in providing "the first hard evidence that the world is round" and covers the extreme hardships of the voyage and the cultural conflict that led to Magellan's death. Meltzer's wry comments make history anything but dry. Recounting Magellan's order to have nothing to do with native women "unless they were baptized as Christians," he notes, "Of course that made every sailor an ardent missionary."
The colorful and sometimes quite beautiful illustrations include paintings, drawings, and prints, as well as a few photographs of sites and artifacts. Each volume ends with a time line, a source bibliography, and lists of suggested books and Web sites for further research. Carolyn Phelan
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