Daniel Boone: Woodsman of Kentucky. (In the Footsteps of Explorers). John Zronik. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $9.86 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 0-7787-2464-6 (pbk), ISBN 0-7787-2428-X (RLB.). Subject Headings: Boone, Daniel, 1734-1820-Juvenile literature. Pioneers-Kentucky-Biography-Juvenile literature. Explorers-Kentucky-Biography-Juvenile literature. Frontier and pioneer life-Kentucky-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4
	Peary & Henson: The Race to the North Pole. (In the Footsteps of Explorers). Baron Bedesky. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $9.86 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 0-7787-2462-X (pbk), ISBN 0-7787-2426-3 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin), 1856-1920-Juvenile literature. Henson, Matthew Alexander, 1866-1955-Juvenile literature. Explorers-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. African-American explorers-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4
	Radisson & des Groseilliers: Fur Traders of the North. (In the Footsteps of Explorers). Katharine Bailey. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $9.86 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 0-7787-2458-1 (pbk), ISBN 0-7787-2422-0 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Radisson, Pierre Esprit, ca. 1636-1710-Juvenile literature. Des Groseilliers, Médard Chouart, sieur, b. 1618-ca 1690-Juvenile literature. Explorers-Canada-Biography-Juvenile literature. Explorers-France-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4
	Sir Walter Raleigh: Founding the Virginia Colony. (In the Footsteps of Explorers). Nancy Ward. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $9.86 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 0-7787-2460-3 (pbk), ISBN 0-7787-2424-7 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 1552?-1618-Juvenile literature. Great Britain-court and courtiers-Biography-Juvenile literature. America-Discovery and exploration-Juvenile literature. Explorers-Great Britain-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4

excerpt:

Radisson and des Groseilliers lived in New France, a French colony in the present-day province of Quebec, Canada. They were coureurs de bois, a French phrase which means "runners of the woods." The term described unlicensed fur traders, or men who did not have permission to leave their colonies to hunt animals for their furs. (From Radisson & des Groseilliers.)

Crabtree Publishing has produced the “In the Footsteps of Explorers” series, a collection of 14 books about some of the men who pushed the boundaries of non-aboriginal encroachment in North and South America, Asia and the North.

      The books are competently written and interestingly illustrated. They will provide young readers with substantial amounts of well-ordered information to set the context about the era in which these explorers lived (the Renaissance, the Elizabethan era, etc.), their personal stories and adventures, as well as the effect of their explorations on the aboriginal people and the natural environment.

      As with other Crabtree series, the books are comprised of two-page chapters in a total of 32 pages, with a Table of Contents at the front and a glossary and index on the final page. Timelines border the first pages while period drawings and paintings form the background for much of the text. The use of these pieces of art adds an element of authentication, but sometimes makes the text difficult to read. The backgrounds, maps, pictures, etc., are all accompanied by captions that add even more useful information. Facts about the explorers are interspersed with supplementary information that will enable students to understand how people, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, lived their lives and how the explorers accomplished their work. For example, in Sir Walter Raleigh, the life of a sailor is described:

Life was hard for sailors. Their clothing usually consisted of a light wool or linen shirt or tunic and short pants that were worn day and night, every day. Sailors rarely wore shoes, and lice and fleas were common problems. Each day, sailors were given a small amount of ship's biscuit, salted meat or fish, and sometimes boiled peas or beans. Meals were cooked in the galley, or ship's kitchen, but when the sea was too rough it was impossible to cook for fear of setting the ship on fire. Ship's biscuit was a hard, dry, flat bread that stored well. By the end of a journey, most of the food had spoiled and sailors ate items such as maggot-infested cheese.

     The books discuss the impact of exploration on the indigenous populations:

The Inuit way of life began to change almost immediately after contact with Europeans and North Americans. The exploration of the Arctic made the governments of Denmark, which controlled Greenland until the 1980's, and Canada, want to permanently claim territory in the eastern Arctic. To do so, they set up police or army bases, or government offices in the far north. They encouraged the Inuit to settle permanently in these communities, often in prefabricated houses. In the 1950s in Canada, police began killing Inuit sled dogs to force the Inuit to give up their nomadic way of life. In Greenland, the government moved many Inuit from their traditional lands in the 1950s, after a U.S. air base was built. (From Peary & Henson.)

     One point of criticism is that, through passages such as the one above, the reader must intuit the negative consequences on the lives of the indigenous groups. This is a disservice to the student readers, who see that aboriginal people in Canada and the U.S. and elsewhere have serious problems as a group. Why shouldn't children be able to understand why, as a means to helping solve these problems? The truth isn't always pretty, but adults should not avoid it because it embarrasses our society.

Highly Recommended.

Harriet Zaidman is a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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