The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria (First Book Series) [Library Binding]

Dennis B. Fradin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: First Book Series

A biography of Christopher Columbus, focusing on his voyage to America aboard the three famous ships.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- The story of three of the most famous ships of all time. Fradin begins by explaining the struggle Columbus had in financing his voyages and describes the vessels, the methods of sailing and steering, the supplies they carried, and the discomfort of shipboard life. Columbus's way of estimating the distances traveled each day is explained and his voyages among the Islands are briefly detailed. It is well known that the Santa Maria sank, but Fradin tells what little is known of the final dispositions of the other ships. Columbus is portrayed as an excellent seaman but a poor administrator who began the practice of using Native Americans as slaves. The clear, objective narrative is free of fictionalization and includes the sort of information that should appeal to children. The attractive volume is liberally illustrated with full-color reproductions of paintings, maps, and woodcuts. While John Dyson's Westward with Columbus (Scholastic, 1991) may give readers a better look at the ships and shipboard life, it is a fictional account. Fradin's book gives the solid facts students will need for reports. --Jean H. Zimmerman, Willett School, South River, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 64 pages
• Publisher: Franklin Watts (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531200345
• ISBN-13: 978-0531200346
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,179,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"I have the time of my life as a children's author," says Dennis Brindell Fradin, prolific author of close to one hundred and fifty books. "I try not to let a day of the year go by without working." Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he earned a creative writing degree from Northwestern University, then taught elementary school for twelve years. In 1989, the National College of Education honored him as the Educator of the Year. He is married to writer Judith Bloom Fradin, who did the photo research on this book. They live in Evanston, Illinois and have three grown children.