Christopher Columbus

by Stephen Krensky

Illus. in full color. Youngsters can celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus's fateful voyage with this dramatic, easy-to-read account of a pivotal moment in American history. "


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Childrens, American History, Picture Books, School

Hardcover

First published August 1, 1991

Reviews

[Alexis Caudill · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Book summary, in your own words (3 pts)
Christopher Columbus is a great informational book all about Christopher Columbus and his journey to discovering the new world. It honestly gave more insight into his journey that I did not know very well. It was a great read.
2. Grade level, interest level, lexile (1 pt)
This would be a good read for students in kindergarten to 2nd grade. It is very easy to read and gives very good pictures along with the words on the page.
3. Appropriate classroom use (subject area) (1 pt)
I would use this book during the reading part of the class and during our social studies lesson on Christopher Columbus.
4. Individual students who might benefit from reading (1 pt)
Students interested in history and Christopher Columbus would like this book.
5. Small group use (literature circles) (1 pt)
I would use this book as a book for literacy circles to see how students are doing with reading comprehension.
6. Whole class use (read aloud) (1 pt)
This would definitely be a book I would read aloud to the class during our lesson on Christopher Columbus.
7. Related books in genre/subject or content area (1 pt)
George Washington and the General's Dog (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3) by Frank Murphy
The First Thanksgiving (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3) by Linda Hayward
8. Multimedia connections (audio books, movie) available (1 pt)
There are no multimedia connections to this book.

[Deborah Harris]

RL 2.5
AR Quiz No. 6258 EN Nonfiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.7 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP, VP

[Alexis Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book to use in association with a history lesson.

[Evan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This picture book is perhaps a decent introduction to the story of Columbus from a strictly European/Western perspective, but it fails to provide many facts or details aside from those already so famous that schoolchildren still recite them half a millennium after he sailed that ocean blue (even though we never recite anything anymore at school, at least in America). It is especially silent on the crimes against humanity committed by the world's most famous explorer, or any information about subsequent voyages to and from the Americas. I wish the standard for such a publishing company as Scholastic was something more than such a superficial glossing over of major world history.

Illustrations by Norman Green are detailed and interesting, but I'm not sure how accurate. For example, the natives all seem to have blueish-purple hair and Columbus' men are mostly fair-skinned and golden blonde-haired. Most Spaniards & Italians have much darker features in my experience, and most of the historical portraits for Columbus that I've seen seem to back this up.

[Peggy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack did this book for a book report. A little out-dated, but ok. It does explain why Columbus called native people "indians", but never mentions that they should have been called. His favorite part was when the sailors and Columbus finally landed they were so happy "they kissed the sand" - he thought that was pretty funny. It also made quite an impression on him that it took them 34 weeks to get back to Spain. Overall, a good book for a 2nd grade book report.

[Kelly Sommers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This historical book is about Columbus' voyages. It has great, colorful illustrations and really help the children to grasp the concept. There are also maps, which make the book more interactive. This book is great for k-2 graders. I would for sure use this during a social studies lesson. I think it will interest the students and keep their attention. I would surely recommend this book to others.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reader that covers the basics of the Columbus story - the unexpected discovery of America, the motivation of trade/ riches, the fear of the sailors, the confusion of the Indians and Columbus' dying belief that he had sailed to the Indies.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining and informative early reader biography picture book for elementary age students. It didn't provide enough information for any kind of biography report but could be used with other sources for a small paper.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Columbus made a heroic voyage with the expectation of appropriating whatever he found.

Of course, we don't consider him so much a hero now because you can't just walk up to some land and claim it for your boss just because you arrived; in this case, the king and queen who financed his voyage.

[Rose]

970.01 Kre

[Cws]

JEAR2-Kre

[Terryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

i don't know how my penpal feels yet, but i loved the fact that this book was honest about columbus' treatment of the native peoples, up to and including kidnapping several to take back to spain!

[Mollywainio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also Follow the Dream; the story of Christopher Columbus by Peter Sis

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an ok retelling of Christopher Columbus` journey.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, for an easy reader. It starts the book at Columbus's embarkation and really ends with Columbus's first return to Spain as a hero.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative. A good children’s edition about Christopher Coulmbus.

[Miss Lansberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about Columbus.

[Kirsten Foti · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book identifies Columbus as a hero, although in one line it mentions how he forced Indians back on the ship to Spain.

[Daniel Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this one as a gift. Christmas, I think. Not sure from whom. It was written for the 500th anniversary of Columbus' 1492 voyage, which might be about the time I got it. Written from a modern perspective; talks about how motors and radios might have made the trip less risky and also compares the world map in 1492 (Eurasia and Africa) to the one in 1992. Probably no more than 50 words per page, with many beautiful illustrations, some spread across two pages. Sentences are short and to-the-point. Vocabulary is mostly everyday words, with just enough unusual ones to spice things up.

Compact but lots of interesting and useful information. The ships were so full of supplies that sailors had to sleep on deck. 90 men (various occupations, including an Arabic translator) total, about 30 per ship. A meteor and a thick blanket of seaweed, good portents or bad?

Has important dates: Sets sail on 3 August 1492, finds land on 12 October, returns home 32 weeks later on 15 March 1493. Tone seems neutral to me; it is complimentary of Columbus, calling him a hero, but wary of colonialism/expansionism:

[Columbus] names the island San Salvador.

He says it now belongs to Spain.

But the island really belongs to the people who live there.

From what I know, seems to hit all the high points, but may be a little hazy on some details. Still, a very nice introduction to Columbus and his discovery!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject of Christopher Columbus is a sensitive one, and can be a political bombshell, even in an elementary classroom. I use this book to given some instruction on Columbus' voyage in search of a path to the east by going west. I like that this book makes it clear to young readers that there were indigenous people living where Columbus landed.

[Kourtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

One can not be founder of a new world that is already inhabited by people. Who were pushed out of their home for these greedy people who think anything new they "discover" is theirs. Can we start teaching how messed up this was instead.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very educational book

[Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent reader that wasn't politicized (the new version is). You can still get the old version via Kindle.

[Mateo Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because Christopher Columbus found Puerto Rico and I’m from Puerto Rico. Christopher Columbus found the Americans like Indians.

[Tatum · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book gives me so mush informashun

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole series is a good introduction to famous folks at a casual level