Product Description
Beautifully colored and exquisitely precise, this superb atlas is a vital learning tool that children will return to again and again. Includes 100 pages of large-format, world-class maps, designed specifically for use by eight-to-twelve-year-olds.Amazon.com Review
As the boundaries of our world change, so must our atlases. This generously sized 2003 edition of the award-winning National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers reflects the latest-possible place-name and boundary changes and features a new 16-page section on the world's oceans (including maps and illustrated essays) and an expanded U.S. section that provides an in-depth look at each region. If you are unfamiliar with the format of previous editions, expert National Geographic cartographers have designed more than 115 pages of colorful, easy-to-read, full-spread political (names and boundaries of countries), physical (land forms and water features), and thematic (displaying patterns such as climate) maps for children ages 8 to 12. All maps are shown in the context of surrounding areas. The plentiful color photographs, illustrations, and charts make this an interesting book to casually peruse, as do engaging captions about everything from golden toads to Pueblo Indian artists. The maps themselves are labeled with large, legible type. Students will also find a glossary of geographic terms, a chart of key world facts and figures, conversion tables, and a detailed index. A fine atlas for school projects or for browsing through on a rainy day. (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

terrific atlas for elementary kids
I encourage my parents to purchase this atlas each year for the map unit my students do all year.It has plenty of information but is not too dense with terms.

Not up to expectations
1. The book is bound in such a manner that the binding conceals map features in the binding making them difficult or impossible to see.
2. The content of explanatory material is too general. It presents no challenge to further interest children at the high end (age 11-12)
of the recommended age grouping.
A book like this should present a challenge to motivated children.
If used with an adult it would be fine for younger children, but would
bore or frustrate an adult trying to motivate an older truly interested, highly
motivated youngster. A sad commentary on the inspiration for this age
group. We are grandparents of 79 years, whose 4 children have broad and
deep interests that they have conveyed to their children.

So many maps, so little time
I ordered this for my 5 year old daughter because the price was right. But, I was happily surprised by how thorough and lovely the pictures are. The beginning of the book contains a comprehensive section on how to read maps, and explains how a map can represent different information (climate, politics, terrain). Each continent also had photographs of the people, and natural formations that are identified with it. That was nice!

But, all cannot be perfect alas. Many of the maps span two pages, to make it larger I presume. However, and this is REALLY annoying, you cannot see what is in the crease between the two pages! The United States is missing parts of it, Africa is bisected at the Congo. I would rather Nat'l Geographic had made each map a fold-out. I guess there would have been a chance that it would eventually get ripped out, but at least you can see the whole area being shown.

Beautiful!
This is a wonderful atlas, great for a beginner but the adults are enjoying it too. ... Read more

Product Description
The Men who discovered and explored the new world from Columbus to Henry Hudson. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A good taster for the subject, sufficiently but not brilliantly told
I have to congratulate Luree Miller who bought the stories of these five women to my attention. There were some intrepid lady travellers of the nineteenth and early 20th century, but not all of them are well known. This book gives potted histories of 5 of these women, three British, one french and one American - and their travels, trials and triumphs in the Himalayas.

While I enjoyed the subject I found the telling a little stilted and at times unnecessary for instance Nina Marzuchelli's psychological relationship with her husband is examined. Now I know the reason why this was done as Nina had referred to her husband's demeanour herself, but I found Miller's own comments on it less than helpful at times - and in fact intrusive to the story.

Each of these chapters is short - after all this is a collection and so the bare bones of the stories really has to suffice whereas I would assume there might be much more interesting long biographies on some of these women - for instance Anne Royle Taylor or Isabella Bird Bishop.

There are some helpful maps and nice pictures - not enough pictures although I doubt there are many available for these women and for the period.

I think this would be an ideal book to introduce today's intrepid travellers to just how intrepid lady travellers had to be to visit the Himalayas.

I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book unless someone was travelling that way, it is not one of those gripping histories, but it is a good read for a sense of history of the place and of women travellers.

On Top of the World: Five Women Explorers in Tibet
I love reading historical adventure books and this was as good as I expected.It was not a "page turner" but an interesting account of these women's explorations. I am surprised I have never heard of these women before as they were true pioneers. I recommend this to anyone who likes reading about travel adventures.

Women explorers - Found!
An excellent book in that rather small group of books on women explorers.An entertaining read.Could be read by high school or possibly middle school readers but does not talk down to them.Discusses English lady travelers (Nina Mazuchelli, Annie Taylor, Isabella Bird Bishop), the American Fanny Bullock Workman and the French Alexandra David-Neel.Contains the amusing incident of competition between Fanny Bullock Workman and Annie Smith Peck.Since Peck's entire story is not told, she looks a bit like a doofus in this conflict.I suspect modern readers would find her more sympathetic if they knew the whole story.(Fanny looked down on Annie because she wore bloomers to climb mountains.Modern readers would find Fanny's insistence on mountain climbing in long skirts bizarre.)

The stories are told concisely but with sufficient detail for most readers.Appropriate maps and black and white photos increase the enjoyment of the text.I would recommend it to anyone interested in women's history or the history of Tibet or the history of mountain climbing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Magellan Still Lives!
The best biographical book on this explorer yet! You can actually feel what Ferdinand Magellan felt during his voyage around the world. During his life between 1480-1521, he goes through many tasks, his age doesn't matterto him when he decides to circumnavigate the world. Who named the PacificOcean? He did! Pacific means calm. Did you know that? I bet you did not!You can find out more about his extroardinary life and achievements in thisbook. This book is great for bibliography writing, historical figurespeeches, or just for plain fun and your acknowledgement. ... Read more

Product Description
Biography/History/Social ScienceWhat makes us good or bad?Underlying the violence that tears our world apart is there any way to resolve the raging differences that not only drive power mad political leaders and terrorists, but also the global clash of parents, teachers, religions, and all wars? Are there somewhere potentially peaceful and unifying foundations for right versus wrong?In this first of six books for his Moral Evolution Cycle evolutionary systems scientist David Loye uncovers compelling answers in "the lost story of the great explorers of the better world."Vividly recapturing their lives, works, and times, he tells of how against opposition from authoritarian religions, governments, and social systems, over 200 years the founders of modern social science fought to expand the ability of our species to build better lives and a better world for ourselves. Often controversial, at times widely reviled, the explorers range from Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim and Sigmund Freud to, more recently, Jean Piaget, Erich Fromm, Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan, Jessie Bernard, Jean Baker Miller, and Riane Eisler.Particularly striking is Loye's discovery that within their often radically different works lies the gradual uncovering of a foundation for right versus wrong that we customarily see as only politically meaningful.What The River and the Star regainsis the power of the vision of the deeper and wider moral drive that lies behind the worn phrase "freedom and equality."In a tour de force of biography, history, and science, written with the page turning flair of an adventure tale, we see how behind not only our sense of right versus wrong, but every aspect of our lives lies the motivating vision of the Star of freedom and the unifying vision of the River of equality.Evolutionary systems scientist David Loye is the author of the award-winning The Healing of a Nation, five succeeding books for his Moral Evolution Cycle, and a six book Darwin Anniversary Cycle to globally advance a "healing of the nations."Though written for a wide general readership, this book will be market tested for college courses fall and spring terms 2007-2008. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Seven Cities of Gold
This book is part of a series on explorers of the new world that includes all the major players like Magellan, Columbus, De Soto etc. The book serves as a good introduction to Coronado(for a book report)orgood reference material for an extended report on a variety of subjects relating to the southwest. There are sufficient pictures throughout the 58 pages to hold a young readers interest. This biography deals with most aspects of the mans life without bogging the reader down with too many details. Like many childrens biographies, it begins with his birth and by the end of the page he is an adult explorer. Not much information is given about his youth. There is historical information given regarding the times in which Coronado lived; I'm not sure that the connection between the times and his exploits is adequately explained. The parent or teacher might have to assist in making the connection. His quest for gold and the fabled Seven Cities of Gold is certainly highlighted. The many discoveries he made in the process, including the Grand Canyon and Colorado River are also brought to attention of the young reader. His lasting legacy and the overall Spanish influence in the Southwest is a dominant part of the book. For further reference when doing a report it is recommended to seek out additional sources such as Majestic Journey: Coronado's Inland Empire or The Journey of Coronado (Dover Books on Travel, Adventure).This book is recommended for middle school and community libraires. ... Read more

Product Description
An exciting new presentation of timely and timeless material. The Explorers Time Line is sure to spark students' interest in some of history's most fascinating explorers.\n\nWhat makes a person actually venture out and become an explorer? Some of the 53 men and women spotlighted here were motivated by greed, hoping that in the New World they would find gold and silver. Some fervently wanted to share their religious beliefs with those who were previously unreached by their faith. Others were commissioned by their governments to explore, conquer, and claim new territories for their country. And some were driven simply by wanderlust, to see new people and new places on distant shores.\n\nIncluded here you will find men and women from backgrounds of all kinds. Some were born into nobility; others were poor farmers. Some were college graduates; others were self-educated. The lives of these explorers ended in as many different ways as they began. Some did indeed become rich and famous, while others did impoverished and unknown. You will find many names that often appear in social studies textbooks, and you will find names of lesser-known adventurers from around the world who also made significant contributions to global understanding.\n\nThe information in this book is excellent for research projects, multiple intelligence lessons, biography writing, cooperative learning assignments, and as a refreshing supplement to textbook history lessons.\n ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the proposed manned space flight to Mars and what might be found there. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the wild ancestors of modern pets, how to choose a suitable pet, and how to care for eleven different kinds, including dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, fish, and horses. ... Read more

Product Description
Joining in the hunt for a mysterious creature, children follow Hugo as he seeks to rescue the creature from the evil villainess. Each page features a detailed picture map packed with things for the reader to find and following the trail finally reveals the identity of the mystery creature. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapter 1-Chapter 7 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

More a discription of what he saw
A very fscinating discription of those parts of the world, Henry Hudson saw at his voyages and a lot of very interesting information how things developed until today in these regions. Henry Hudson himself gives more the frame than the content of the book.

A Great Read
This is a very enjoyable, very interesting exploration of the story of Henry Hudson.

There is very little known about Hudson, and most of his logs and journals were destroyed or lost. But what Corey Sandler has done is remarkable: he has taken what we do know about Hudson and woven it into an modern-day exploration of the places the great explorer visited.

Sandler visits Svalbard, the icy archipelago near the North Pole and tells its story before and after Hudson's visit on his first voyage. Then he tells the story of Novaya Zemlya, the Russian island where Hudson was trapped on his second expedition and tells how it became the Soviet Union's nuclear scrapyard.

Hudson's third voyage--the one that traveled up the Hudson River--is told within the context of the story of that great river: its early days, its near-ruination by pollution, its environmental champions, and its current riverkeepers.

And then Sandler tells the murder mystery story of Hudson's fourth voyage, to the frozen north of the Canadian Arctic. We learn about the Inuit and Cree, and the theories of how Hudson came to be abandoned by his crew in James Bay.

If you're looking for a traditional history of Henry Hudson, you won't find one. Not here, or anywhere else. His story is mostly lost.

But what Sandler has done is remarkable: it's a great read that places Hudson's voyage within the context of his time and ours.

A fascinating journey
This is a marvelous book about one of the least-known of the great explorers.

As Corey Sandler says, very little is known about Henry Hudson except for the period included within the five years of his four voyages. And much of what is on the record is based on the testimony of the mutineers who were out to save their own necks.

Instead, what the author has done is write a fascinating biography of the PLACES Hudson explored: Svalbard near the north pole, Novaya Zemlya above Russia, the Hudson River, and northern Canada including Hudson Strait, Hudson Bay, and James Bay.

He uses the logs and journals of Hudson and some of his crew to put things in context, and then tells us the stories of some of the most amazing places on the planet.

This is a most unusual book, a great read. And it delivers exactly what it promises: "The Tragic Legacy of the New World's Least Understood Explorer." Every page brought a new perspective on history for me. I highly recommend this book.

Know what you're in for
If you're considering buying this book you should know what you're in for.If you're expecting a biography of Henry Hudson you'll be disappointed.There is very little on Hudson in this book.What you get is a high-level overview of what Hudson is thought to have done and a whole lot of ramble on Corey Sandler's experiences visiting the places Hudson visited.

There's not a whole lot that's known about Hudson.What there is comes from a few brief surviving documents.You get the text from those documents word-for-word with little if any interpretation from the author.That's the real disappointment of this book.If I wanted to read the text of the original documents I'd look them up myself online.What I wanted was expert interpretation and the telling of the story that these documents seem to describe.

Sandler writes from Nantucket, an island he shares with the great historian Nathaniel Philbrick.But where Philbrick excels at taking scant information and turning it into a fascinating story, Sandler dumps the source information on the page and then rambles on about his own experiences in visiting the same places 400 years later.Unfortunately, it's just not very interesting.Thought you'd learn about Hudson's trip up the river that bears his name?You're going to get a little of that and then a whole lot of information on General Electric, PCBs, the environmental movement, and Pete Seeger.

An earlier reviewer characterized this book as being 1/3 history.I'd put it more at 1/10th.By the end of the book you'll know little about Hudson, but all about Sandler's political views, summer camp experiences, family, feelings, travel preferences, and a whole lot of other personal detail.If that's what you're looking to read about, you'll love it.But if you read the title and thought you were instead going to read a biography of Henry Hudson, you'll be disappointed.

Great book!
I am going to give this 5 stars. I'll list why in a second just let me tell you a few of my issues. First Sandler doesn't seem to interview that many people concerning the Clearwater Sloop, the Hudson River Keeper or the many, many other environmental organizations dedicated to keep the Hudson clean. He also brushes over the Storm King case. Sandler does not mention the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

Ok now that's out of the way let me explain a bit why this book is excellent.

First of all its one-third history, one-third travelogue and one-third PSA for keeping all the places Henry Hudson visited clean. The history part is fairly typical in that we don't know much about Hudson; he may have been a bad captain nothing that new or exciting. But overall it's still interesting and a good introduction for those unfamiliar with Hudson.

Then comes the travelogue sections. These are really interesting mostly because of all the unique people the author met on his travels. In reading the book the former director of Clearwater, Andy Mele, comes off as a pretty genuine guy. He's not a crazy tree hugging hippe but just a regular guy that wants to do some good. Most of the environmentalist people come off this way. Some people may not like this but honestly try spending a night near the Hudson...smell that? Yeah, that's the river. I did enjoy Sandle's search for Hudson's monuments and as he mentions in the introduction the most obvious ones are the Hudson River and New York City.

The best parts are the sections that are basically the PSAs about environmentalism. There are numerous digs at GE for dumping PCBs and our society in general. Having lived for four years about 100 yards from the Hudson I must say it's easily one of the greatest sights in the world. But its also one of the biggest dumps too. I think it's terrible that the river is so polluted that you can't go for a swim or eat a fish from there. I had a picnic with my girlfriend one day in Hyde Park right on the river and it was pretty easy to spot all the trash washed up on the shore. Ok enough gushing as Sandler does a much better job explaining this then I do.

In conclusion just read the book. It's excellent.
... Read more