I, Columbus: My Journal, 1492-3

Follows the first voyage of discovery made by Christopher Columbus through excerpts from the journal he kept.

Grade 4-6-- An edited version of Columbus's own journal of his first voyage. Using Robert H. Fuson's The Log of Christopher Columbus , the Roops provide a readable and fascinating glimpse into Columbus's thoughts as he coped with storms at sea, a fearful crew, and a treacherous subordinate. Since the log was intended for presentation to the King and Queen of Spain, it contains little about Columbus's personal life and few details of life aboard ship. It clearly shows the man's courage and his unswerving conviction that he could and did reach the Orient by sailing west. While his interest in obtaining gold for his sovereigns is readily apparent, there is no hint that it would later become an obsession that would drive him to exploit the Indians of whom he writes so warmly here. Hanson's excellent pen-and-ink drawings (one of which appears twice) are delicately watercolored in soft blues and golds and have a distant perspective that is appropriate for a subject whose appearance is not known and whose surroundings have been obscured by the passage of time. Many other good books about Columbus have been published recently, but because the Roops have given children an opportunity to read a first-hand account in a well-written, attractive volume, this book deserves serious consideration. --Jean H. Zimmerman, Willett School, South River, NJ
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Excerpts from Christopher Columbus's journal relate his discovery of the Caribbean islands, which he believed (then and to his death) to be the Indies. Direct and surprisingly accessible, the entries tell of storms and swells, discontent among the men, and many false and disheartening sightings of land before the ships at last come ashore. The Roops' selections give a sense of the strange fish and fowl, lush vegetation and friendly natives the Spaniards encounter; one has to dip only slightly beneath the surface of the text to perceive the disquieting beginnings of the Europeans' long exploitation of what was regarded as virgin territory, ripe for plunder. Cross-hatched ink drawings, overlaid with watercolor wash, provide a delicate but fresh flavor. This is far from a broad or comprehensive treatment of Columbus's voyages, and readers will need additional sources to put those voyages into context. But as a particularized account from a single but revealing vantage point, these excerpts make for engrossing reading. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.