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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Hewing to a format similar to her Beyond the Sea of Ice, Goodman recounts Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's epic journey of 1497-1499. The first European to sail around Africa to India (known for precious spices), da Gama risked not only natural perils like storms but also attack by unfriendly Muslims. Although the voyage produced little in the way of goods and treasure, it was to have broad implications politically and economically, as an afterword makes clear. The author's thorough research is evident throughout, both in the detail she packs into the text as well as in her ability to knit the proceedings into a broad historical context. However, her prose never rises above the workmanlike ("How strange and frightening these unwashed, hairy, overdressed Portuguese must have looked to the Hottentots, the tribe of that region"), and the vast stretches of uninterrupted type may leave some readers at sea. McNeely's (Despite All Obstacles: LaSalle and the Conquest of the Mississippi) panoramic watercolors help enliven things, as does a handsome layout that includes black-bordered pages and short sidebars with entries plucked from da Gama's own journal. A gatefold map allows the audience to follow the outbound and return voyages while reading along. A solid, if somewhat unimpassioned, presentation. Ages 8-18.
From School Library Journal
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Hewing to a format similar to her Beyond the Sea of Ice, Goodman recounts Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's epic journey of 1497-1499. The first European to sail around Africa to India (known for precious spices), da Gama risked not only natural perils like storms but also attack by unfriendly Muslims. Although the voyage produced little in the way of goods and treasure, it was to have broad implications politically and economically, as an afterword makes clear. The author's thorough research is evident throughout, both in the detail she packs into the text as well as in her ability to knit the proceedings into a broad historical context. However, her prose never rises above the workmanlike ("How strange and frightening these unwashed, hairy, overdressed Portuguese must have looked to the Hottentots, the tribe of that region"), and the vast stretches of uninterrupted type may leave some readers at sea. McNeely's (Despite All Obstacles: LaSalle and the Conquest of the Mississippi) panoramic watercolors help enliven things, as does a handsome layout that includes black-bordered pages and short sidebars with entries plucked from da Gama's own journal. A gatefold map allows the audience to follow the outbound and return voyages while reading along. A solid, if somewhat unimpassioned, presentation. Ages 8-18.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-7-Lavish, earth-toned watercolor illustrations extend a lucid, interesting text that details the initial 1497 voyage of Vasco da Gama around Africa to the Orient. Beginning with background on Portuguese exploration, navigation, and the role of Prince Henry the Navigator, the running narrative includes sidebars taken from the journal of one of da Gama's crew members-an excellent example of primary-source material. The objective presentation is matter-of-fact regarding the explorer's brutality and ignorance in dealing with the indigenous populations of Africa and the Near East. However, the author still manages to maintain a focus on the bravery and persistence of the man and his crew. The balanced presentation, which concludes with a summation of the remainder of da Gama's career and the fall of the Portuguese overseas empire, is compellingly written and makes interesting reading. A note on The Lus'ads, an epic poem about da Gama by 16th-century poet Lu's Vaz de Camoes, rounds out this volume. Coupled with Leonard Everett Fisher's Prince Henry the Navigator (Macmillan, 1990; o.p.), it provides a solid introduction to the grand era of Portuguese navigation.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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