Monday, April 22, 2013

Sailing the Unknown

Would you dare to sail a ship where no one had gone before? In 1768 an eleven year old boy did with a world famous explorer.



When I say "explorer" what names come to your mind?  How about  James Cook?  He traveled all over the globe in the 1700s - an interactive map will show you the routes.  Many times he and his crew didn't know what they would find or the best route to take.



The library has a new picture book about his adventures from 1768 to 1771. We learn more about the adventures aboard the Endeavor through the journal entries of the youngest crew member, eleven year old Nicholas Young.  The author, Michael J. Rosen, used research to imagine the perspective Nicholas would have on the real historical events the crew encountered.   All kinds of activities and information are available here: http://bit.ly/11yitmk

 Take a preview here (click on the images to look inside the book).   The illustrator, Maria Pritelli, paints the scenes as well as text features (maps, cross sections).

****BE SURE TO READ THE COMMENT TO THIS POST FROM AUTHOR MICHAEL J. ROSEN.****

Just in case you haven't seen it here is a short video about the most common text features from a social studies unit.



1 comment:

  1. Dear Mr. Cox,
    Thanks so much for featuring my new book there at your library. Yes, I love landing in foreign places myself!

    In case you or your kids would be interested, I create a cool document that points out how you can learn more about Cook's voyage. How to imagine what it must have been like living on a ship for 3 years, meeting "undiscovered" people, finding hundreds of new creatures. It's on my Website (www.fidosopher.com) here:
    http://bit.ly/11yitmk

    All best to you on your voyages, as well, Michael J. Rosen

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