John Clare (3)

This is a traditional telling of the voyages of Columbus, but its uniqueness is the photographs which are recreations of the activities on the ships. Many of these pictures go into great detail. For example on page 25 there is a picture of a 1500 era plumb line with an explanation in the caption. On another page there is an explanation of a quadrant. On another page there is a picture of sailors repairing the ships caulking. On page 20 and 21 there is a fantastic photo of what appear to be recreations of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria sailing off from Spain.

The incredible photographs are what make this book unique. There is an interesting tidbit that gives you insight into the character of Columbus. Many of the men were growing weary after being on the ocean for over a month. To keep the crew intrigued Columbus reminded the crew of the prize the king and queen offered to the first man to spot land. At 2 a.m. Oct. 12 a Rodrigo de Triana spotted land. Columbus promised this man the prize, but would later recant and take the prize himself.

For this book I think it would be good for children in my class to zoom in on some of the instruments and tools used about Columbus’ ships. I would have the students build their own quadrants which can be made very easily with a string, cardboard and a metal nut. The quadrant could be used in conjunction with a math lesson about angles. Another activity would be to learn about maps – how they are used and some of the common characteristics of maps.… (más)