Editorial Review
Booklist Review of Pioneers at Sea
Written in a high/low format, this entry in the Amazing Adventures series (4 titles) chronologically introduces eight prominent sea explorers and innovators from around the world. While a few anticipated male European explorers, such as Leif Erikson and Ferdinand Magellan, are featured, the majority of the book spotlights lesser-known but equally important sea voyagers, such as Zheng He, who was in charge of the emperor of China’s treasure ships in the 1400s, and Bungaree, an Aboriginal Australian who was the first to sail around his country. Underwater exploration is also highlighted through Bathysphere inventor William Beebe and oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Each profile spans several pages that feature large, simple text in chunked segments and a mix of colorful reproductions and archival photos that relate each explorer’s mission and lasting contributions to history.
—Angela Leeper