Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 (The American Story) (Paperback)

by Betsy Maestro (Author), Giulio Maestro (Illustrator) "Christopher Columbus was not the first to discover the Americas..." (more)
Key Phrases: other explorers, North America, New World, Far East (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This ambitious sequel to the Maestros' The Discovery of the Americas begins with a revisionist summation of Christopher Columbus's famous feats: the explorer "was not the first to discover the Americas. But his voyages led to the European exploration of the New World." The book covers more than 130 years of exploration, presenting brief overviews of Magellan, Cortes, Pizarro, Hudson, Drake, Champlain et al. Betsy Maestro also discusses the effects of these incursions on native peoples; she touches upon the African slave trade, the decimation of the Aztec civilization and the general failure of Europeans to honor their agreements with Native Americans. While the writing is clear, the range of information may be too broad for the reader to absorb easily. Each topic receives only a paragraph or two, and important concepts are often reduced to a single sentence. More satisfying is the watercolor-and-pencil art, which vividly depicts the explorers and their exploits. Giulio Maestro captures the essence of his settings-the midnight blues of a nighttime sky at sea, the earthy yellows and browns of the American Southwest, the green, tiered mountains of Central America. Appendixes contain a table of dates; lists of explorers not mentioned in the text; useful summaries; and a list of Native American "contributions to the world." Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-This companion to The Discovery of the Americas (Lothrop, 1991) provides an interesting discussion of the European exploration and conquest of the "New World." The author carefully explains that, "The great gain of one people was the great loss of another" and traces the disastrous effects that the Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, and Dutch had on the native peoples of the Americas, while acknowledging the benefits the Europeans enjoyed-gold, land, rich natural resources, and power. North, Central, and South America are discussed, as are the beginnings of the African slave trade. Detailed descriptions of the different native cultures are not provided-the focus is on European politics and rivalry-and there are no chapter divisions, which makes the information somewhat difficult to digest. Although the text is occasionally blunt and dry, this is still a good introduction to a complex topic from a multicultural perspective, beautifully illustrated with lush watercolor and colored-pencil drawings.
Cyrisse Jaffee, formerly at Newton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688154743
• ISBN-13: 978-0688154745
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,779 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

Outstanding description of explorers to the new world after Columbus. Puts the voyages and their countries motives into perspective with clear and concise chrolological account. Highly recommended for the 4th grade explorers unit, and from the 3rd grade through the 7th grade. An excellent historical book and contains good color illustrations. I would recommend it to students from the 3rd grade through the 7th grade, and wish to include a recommendation for teachers, as well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good picture book for middle grades history course, July 18, 2004

By	Teacher Friend "middleschoolssteacher" (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This text is lengthier than the Constitution book. I believe it can still be easily read and discussed in two class periods. The text can be easily separated between the Conquistadors and other French & English explorers. This book covers quite a few explorers so, a graphic organizer that lists the names of the men would be helpful for students to keep information during the story.