In 1492

by Jean Marzollo

Rhyming text describes Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the New World.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Jean Marzollo was an American children's author and illustrator best known for the I Spy series, a best-selling and award-winning collection written entirely in rhythm and rhyme and illustrated by Walter Wick. Over her career, she wrote more than 100 books for children, parents, and educators, including Help Me Learn Numbers 0-20, The Little Plant Doctor, and Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King. Born and raised in Connecticut, she graduated from the University of Connecticut and earned a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She taught high school English and later worked in educational publishing, serving for 20 years as editor of Scholastic’s Let’s Find Out Magazine. Later in life, she began illustrating her own books.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, rhyming tale about Columbus's journey to America. Loved the illustrations!

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: two pictures show natives with no clothes - full bodies are shown but nothing is drawn to detail the bodies.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

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[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know that Columbus wasn't so nice and we know that the Natives weren't so nice either; I mean, unless you consider cannibal tribes nice. But this book paints everyone as nice and that is, you know, nice. I do wish they would have shown the Queen of Spain Isabel.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say this is a beginning reader's book. Very nice.

[Millicent C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
Awards: none
Audience: 8-11 year olds
A. This is a rhyming sonnet song poem. The poem uses an upbeat rhythm and rhyming couplets.
B. This poem uses rhyming to tell the story of Christopher Columbus. Each couplet used a different rhyming word to connect it.
C. Think of a historical event you have learned about and create a rhyming poem to tell that story.
The night had come
The play would be anything but dumb
Performers were ready to go
The lights went low
Action on the stage started to flow
To pictures they said no
The stage was hot
Then Lincoln got shot

[Hailey Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: contemporary realistic
Reading Level: elementary

1492 was a fun read and also very informational. The book can teach students about the time of Christopher Columbus in a fun and exiting fashion. History is important for children to learn so I will most definitely have this book on my shelf and I recommend you do too.

[Kelley Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I've said the poem my whole life - "In 14 hundred 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue," but I've never read this book to my knowledge. The poem is cute and memorable, and the watercolor illustrations are evocative of the books of my childhood. I wonder if she wrote the poem or if it is just an illustration and or extension of a long-existing rhyme?

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun rhyming book to read to young children to show appreciation for Columbus Day. Students will learn the names of the three ships, what the sailors were searching for, how many sailors were with Columbus, and what he found when he got to America, all in this short read.

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent retelling of Christopher Colombus' story for the very young. Pictures and text are fun and simple. Includes a forward with background facts to help build on the information presented in the picture book portion.

[Gala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this book told the truth about Columbus landing in Hawaii. The illustrations are colorful and makes a wonderful picture book for children.

[Amanda Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to read when talking about Christopher Columbus. It gives just a little information so it would be better for younger grades.

[Kimberly Johannsen-Coller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historically accurate poetry!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short, poetic story of Columbus. Great for preK-1st grade.

[Kathryn Jaeger]

This story introduces some history of Columbus coming to America but doing so in a fun way. There is rhythm and rhyming on each page and can almost be read as a poem of sorts. The pictures are cute and also tell the story. "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" is something that most people remember and this story adds to that. There is an informational portion at the front of the book talking about the actual Columbus expedition.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this quick read written in rhyming couplets one learns the very basic fact facts of Christopher Columbus sailing from Spain to go to the Indies and he accidentally discovered what would later be called the North American continent. Author includes two paragraphs of basic info regarding Columbus. The illustrations are beautiful paintings.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book. The first page is a good synopsis for parents so that they can give their child more information if asked. The rest is a nice poem with basic ideas and appropriate illustrations to accompany it.

[Amy Bodkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice rhyming, but not a lot of substance.

[sincerely · Rating 4 out of 5]

For young ones

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it’s bare bones for kids.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple text that ends too soon, but retells the traditional poem that everyone knows or was taught in school about Christopher Columbus. There is a foreword titled background facts that doe a brief yet concise job of sharing some important facts about Columbus, though it leaves out a lot of the more interesting details of his life. Thiss would work as an introductory text to who the guy was, but could use some serious supplemental information to flesh out the actual guy.

[Hannah Grosse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is pretty decent. It is a good way to introduce Christopher Columbus to children. It is in a poetic format, which makes it more fun to read. It is not exactly super realistic to the history of the founding of the New World, most likely because the majority of children may be too young to yet understand the type of issues the new coming Europeans had with the Indians. But other than that, this is a pretty good way to describe Columbus' voyage to America.

[Taylor Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about Columbus sailing the ocean blue is one I think young kids would really enjoy when learning about this specific topic. Written in poetry/song form, the book comes to life with rhyming words that can help the kids remember specific details about what Columbus did. I think it would be a good book for read aloud if discussing Christopher Columbus and it would be an interesting and upbeat way to keep kids hooked on reading it. I would recommend this book for any classroom.

[Cera Foote · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rhyming book is perfect for young students learning about the beginning of the United States, all the way back in 1492. Passages in the book serve as fun ways to learn the historical information, such as, "In fourteen-hundred ninety-two/Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Young students will love learning about the exploration of America as well as how our country began.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poetic book which includes facts, beautiful illustrations, and rhyming words.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute rhyming book with appealing pictures for young children teaching them about Columbus Day.

[Karen Probus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Columbus, picture book, simple text Columbus Day

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 18875 EN Nonfiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 3.2 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Columbus Day is still celebrated in schools today. If you are at a school that wants you to celebrate Columbus Day then this is a good book that rhymes and paints Columbus in a good light.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2022

2021
Gift from Harper's grandmother

Very educational

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

An illustrated poem of Christopher Columbus's voyage.