Exploring the Pacific: The Expeditions of James Cook (Great Explorers)

A biography of the man whose voyages mapped more of the Earth's surface than anyone else's also provides information on the background and effects of his discoveries

Gr 4-6--Three books with uninspired writing, infrequent but major errors, and limited information. The layouts feature double-page illustrations with blocks of text superimposed on them. There is almost no personal history provided for Amundsen, Columbus, or Cook; the focus is solely on their deeds, and coverage is no more interesting than a good encyclopedia article and certainly not as complete. The artwork ranges from poor (in Amundsen) to good (in Cook and Columbus). Most pages include a ``Did you know?'' inset that describes related topics (e.g., aurora borealis, seal hunting, slavery). Except in Columbus, maps are inadequate--in number as well as in detail--to allow youngsters to put the geography in perspective. Two errors are jarring--Columbus gives the distance from Portugal to Japan as ``12,4000'' miles, and Cook describes an illustration of a typical ship as being from ``Columbus's time'' rather than Cook's.

Rosie Peasley, Empire Union School District, Modesto, CA

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