Christopher Columbus by David West

by David West

Before Christopher Columbus's voyages to the West Indies and Central and South America, Europeans knew nothing of the Americas in the New World. His four journeys, beginning in 1492 and ending in 1504, blazed a sea route west across the Atlantic Ocean that pioneered would exploration for years to come. This well-paced account captures Columbus's determination and courage as he led his crews into both unknown waters and unfamiliar native civilizations.

Genres: Graphic Novels

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

David West is a graphic designer, illustrator and author of children's information books. He has produced over 500 titles on subjects ranging from dinosaurs and mythology to technology and science. Some of his best known titles include Brain Surgery for Beginners, 53 1/2 Things that Changed the World and Dinosaurs in My Street.

David went to art school in Kingston-upon-Thames and Harrow, where he specialised in information graphics. He lives in south west London with his wife, two sons, a cat and a goldfish who's over 14 years old.

When he's not illustrating, writing and designing he can be found fishing for salmon in Scottish rivers or painting portraits for fun.

Reviews

[Misslakerria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Columbus: The Life of a Master Navigator and Explorer by David West, Jackie Gaff and Ross Walton is a comic-like book that explores voyages 1 through 4 from the perspective of Columbus (beginning on page 8). This book would be a suitable independent read for grades 3-6.

I liked this book because it did not portray Christopher Columbus as a bad or a good man, but a man who made mistakes in life (although they were not directly acknowledged). I believe that this would be beneficial in a classroom because of several reasons. First, this book would be of interest to those students who do not like reading because there are a lot of pictures and there is very little text on each page (a sentence or two for each picture) versus reading a chapter book with no pictures. Second, this book was easy to comprehend as well as there is a glossary for students to look up unfamiliar words in the back.

Overall, this book will be a great resource for teachers when teaching history, particularly Christopher Columbus, to students as well as a great resource to students in sparking an interest in reading.

[Amy Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher Columbus: The Life of a Master Navigator and Explorer by David West, Jackie Gaff, and Ross Watton
I thought I’d try a non-fiction graphic novel. This title covers the life of Christopher Columbus and is geared toward students grades 3-6. Although the I understand the appeal of graphic novels, I found this particular title lacking. It was choppy and the illustrations didn’t add much to the story. There is a section at the beginning and the end that provides quality information, including a map and a cast of charters. Overall I think the book contained accurate information and would be appealing appealing to struggling readers. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Grades 3 - 6.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're wanting a quick reference on Christopher Columbus then this is a good source. Not meant as a research using book, this is a graphic novel so it's good for those not fond of reading long books. I do like that this book showcases that Columbus was not that nice of a man and someone we shouldn't always celebrate as much as we do.