Early Explorers (Little Wonder Book No. 508)

Charles E. Merrill Co., Inc. (affiliated with American Education Press), Published 1948. Wraps, 32 pp.; 21 cm; revised printing of the 1946 first; staple bound; illustrated throughout with original black-and-white line drawings, the text set within alternating red and teal decorative chapter borders. In good condition. Yellow paper covers with a striking black silhouette illustration of a Spanish galleon under full sail breasting heavy seas, the sails picked out in alternating yellow and black stripes, signed at the lower right by the cover artist. Mild shelf wear and light bumping to corners and edges, with light surface soiling overall. Staple binding tight and square. Interior pages lightly toned but otherwise unmarked, with occasional light spotting.Number 508 in the Little Wonder Books series, originally a set of ninety thirty-two-page booklets co-published by Charles E. Merrill Co. and American Education Press in the mid- to late 1940s. The series was designed for readers aged six to twelve, with each booklet treating one unit of social-studies or science material on the child's level and originally priced low for classroom and home use. The 500-series titles, distinguished by their bright yellow covers, address American geography, civics, industry, and natural resources. Most were illustrated with documentary photographs supplied by federal agencies and news services, but a handful, including "Early Explorers," carry forward the visual format of the older Unit Study Book line of the Educational Printing House (the predecessor of American Education Press) and are illustrated with original pen-and-ink drawings inside red and teal decorative borders. The text follows the early European voyages to the New World chapter by chapter (Columbus, Magellan, Balboa, Cortes, Coronado, De Soto, the Cabots, Drake, Cartier, Champlain, Hudson) and closes with a "Things To Do" page of twelve classroom activities (build models of the Santa Maria, Pinta, and Nina; map exploration routes; imagine yourself a sailor on Columbus's ship). The authors are Doris D. Klaussen, principal of the Ann J. Kellogg School in Battle Creek, Michigan; Irene I. Eisele, principal of the Fremont School in Battle Creek; and Reuben Heppes, editor at American Education Press.Contents: A New Route to Asia; Finding the New World; Spain Explores the New World; Sailing the Seas for England; France Dreams of Empire; The Dutch in the New World; Things To Do.…